Anesthetic Efficacy of a Thermosensitive Liposomal Gel for Absolute Isolation

Objectives: This research objective was to evaluated the efficacy of a new topic anesthetic gel for pain control in children after rubber dam isolation.
Methods: This was a randomized, split-mouth, triple-blind study. We selected 81 children (ages 8-12 years old) who were submitted to two different protocols for sealant application: anesthetic liposomal gel + rubber dam + selant (study group) and placebo gel + rubber dam + sealant (control group). The application of the anesthetic or placebo gel were done under cotton rolls isolation; the gels were administered noninvasively in the gum around the tooth with the aid of an applicator tip. After 2 minutes, the clamp #26 was positioned on the first mandibular molars (36 or 46). If pain was reported, the clamp was removed and the procedure was performed under relative isolation. The absolute risk and intensity of pain was registered using the scale of facial expression Wong-Baker and the scale of 11 points (NRS). The data were evaluated with the Mc Nemar test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank (alpha = 5%).
Results: No significant differences were observed for the risk of pain between groups (anesthetic gel: 22%, placebo 27%, p = 0.52). In relation to pain intensity, the groups differed according to the two pain scales used in this study (p = 0.023 for the numerical scale and p = 0.013 for facial scale) with positive results for the anesthetic gel.
Conclusions: The topic anesthetic liposomal thermosensitive gel can be an alternative in reducing pain intensity in children submitted to absolute isolation to place resin sealants.