Comparative Evaluation of Two Active Distraction Techniques during Intraoral Local Anesthesia Administration among 3-6-year-old Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Aim: A common and inevitable intrusive technique that causes anxiety in people of all ages, but particularly in young ones, is local anesthesia. A variety of behavioral management strategies, including active distraction tactics such as having a communication with the child, deep breathing, Writing In The Air Using Leg (WITAUL), and stress balls, are available to help reduce anxiety brought on by local anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the behavioral management techniques: stress ball and the hands-eyes-mouth distraction technique (HEM-DT).

Materials and methods: Three groups of 60 preschool children participated in the study: group I (control group: communication), group II (stress ball distraction), and group III (HEM-DT). After applying topical lidocaine gel to the buccal mucosa, local anesthetic (LA) was deposited. The Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (WBFPRS) was used to measure dental pain following the administration of local anesthesia, while the Facial Image Scale (FIS) was used to measure anxiety. A pulse oximeter was used to measure the pulse rate. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the groups (p < 0.05).

Results: HEM-DT showed significant difference on comparing pre-FIS and post-FIS scores, with a p-value of 0.014. Pulse rate was comparatively lesser in HEM-DT. When comparing WBFPRS between the three groups, HEM-DT exhibited significant difference.

Conclusion: HEM-DT technique was found to be better than stress ball technique and communication.

Clinical significance: The HEM-DT is a useful tool in pediatric dentistry that helps divert a child's attention from the needle and reduce their pain perception during various treatments.

How to cite this article: Vijayakumar PM, Mathew BM, Banu N, et al. Comparative Evaluation of Two Active Distraction Techniques during Intraoral Local Anesthesia Administration among 3-6-year-old Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2025;18(8):907-910.