title: Effect of 5% benzocaine gel on relieving pain caused by fixed orthodontic appliance activation. A double-blind randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the effectiveness of 5% benzocaine gel and placebo gel on reducing pain caused by fixed orthodontic appliance activation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty subjects (15-25 years) undergoing fixed orthodontics.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and cross-over clinical trial study was conducted. Subjects were asked to apply a placebo gel and 5% benzocaine gel, exchangeable in two consecutive appointments, twice a day for 3 days and mark their level of pain on a VAS scale. The pain severity was evaluated by means of Mann-Whitney U-test for comparing two gel groups, Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test for overall differences and post hoc test of Dunnett for paired multiple comparisons. p-value was assigned <0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall mean value of pain intensity for benzocaine and placebo gels was 0.89 and 1.15, respectively. The Mann-Whitney U-test indicated that there was no significant difference between overall pain in both groups (mean difference = 0.258 p ˂ 0.21). For both groups, pain intensity was significantly lower at 2, 6 and 24 h compared with pain experienced at days 2, 3 and 7.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Benzocaine gel caused a decrease in pain perception at 2 h compared with placebo gel. Peak pain intensity was at 2 h for placebo gel and at 6 h for benzocaine gel, followed by a decline in pain perception from that point to day 7 for both gels.
authors.affiliation: Professor of Orthodontics, Dentofacial Deformities Research Center, Research Institute of Dental Sciences & Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Eslamian
authors.affiliation: DDS, Dr med dent, MAS ITI Scholar at Tufts University, School of dental medicine.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gholami
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Faculty, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: S A R
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mortazavi
authors.affiliation: Orthodontic Department, School of Dentistry, Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, Iran. se.soheilifar@gmail.com.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soheilifar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001566:Benzocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005782:Gels / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005881:Gingiva; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009967:Orthodontic Appliances / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D058748:Pain Perception / Q000187:drug effects*; D012107:Research Design; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D005782:Gels; D001566:Benzocaine
keywords: benzocaine; orthodontic appliances; pain