Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, cilt.49, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
This study aimed to compare pain perception and behavioral responses in pediatric
patients during dental injections using needle-free (NF) injections or traditional injection
methods (TMs) over two consecutive dental visits. This randomized, clinical crossover
study involved 28 children aged 6 to 12 years who exhibited positive or absolute positive
behavior according to the Frankl Behavior Scale and required dental anesthesia for
bilateral operative procedures on their primary maxillary molars. The children were
randomly assigned to receive both the NF and TM injections, for a total of 56 injections.
Patients who underwent filling or pulpotomy treatment on a primary maxillary molar
received anesthesia with both techniques at a one-week interval. At each visit and
after the administration of anesthesia, the patients’ pain levels were assessed using the
Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (Wong-Baker) and the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry,
Consolability scale. The data were recorded, and statistical analyses were performed
using paired t-tests or Wilcoxon nonparametric tests and Chi-square tests. Statistical
significance was defined as a p ≤ 0.05. There was no significant difference between
the NF system and the TM according to the Wong-Baker scores. However, there were
significant differences in the amount of anesthetic solution and duration of the analgesic
effect between the first and second visits for both injection methods, respectively (p
= 0.003 for NF-TM and p < 0.0001 for the TM-NF groups). In this study, the
NF system and the TM exhibited similar results when evaluated using different pain
scales. However, the NF injection system may be a promising approach when working
with uncooperative children. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov PRS ID:
NCT06541925.