Comparative evaluation of efficacy of cryotherapy as an adjuvant to two topical anaesthetic agents on pain perception at intraoral injection sites in adults-A randomised control clinical trial

Introduction: Pain during intraoral injections causes anxiety to patients, which can be tackled by topical anaesthetics to reduce discomfort. But their efficacy is limited to superficial mucosal layers. Cryotherapy has emerged as a promising adjunct to enhance pain control by modulating nerve conduction and inducing vasoconstriction. Aim and Objective: To compare the efficacy of cryotherapy alone and in combination with two topical anaesthetic agents in reducing pain perception during intraoral injections in adults. Materials and Methods: A double-blinded, randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted involving seventy adult patients requiring local anaesthesia, who were randomly assigned to five intervention groups. Participants were divided into five groups: Group 1 (2% lignocaine gel), Group 2 (cryotherapy + 2% lignocaine), Group 3 (20% benzocaine gel), Group 4 (cryotherapy + 20% benzocaine), and Group 5 (cryotherapy alone). Each intervention was applied for two minutes before injection. Pain perception was assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Descriptive statistics and the Kruskal-Wallis test were performed using SPSS v17.0 to compare pain scores across groups. Result: All groups reported mild pain levels. Group 4 (cryotherapy + 20% benzocaine) showed the lowest mean pain score, while Group 2 (cryotherapy + 2% lignocaine) had the highest. However, differences were insignificant (p = 0.82), indicating comparable efficacy among interventions. Conclusion: Cryotherapy, whether used alone or combined with topical anaesthetics such as 20% Benzocaine or 2% Lignocaine, is equally effective in reducing pain at the injection site and can be used in case of allergy to anaesthetic gels.