Comparing Pain Levels With or Without Topical Anesthesia During Infiltration Injection in Patients Undergoing Tooth Extraction.

This randomized clinical trial is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of 5% topical lidocaine in reducing pain associated with infiltration anesthesia in patients undergoing tooth extraction. Pain during local anesthetic administration remains a common cause of anxiety and fear among dental patients and may negatively affect treatment acceptance, patient cooperation, and overall clinical experience.

The study will be conducted at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, and the Department of Oral Surgery, KMDC. A total of 120 eligible adult patients requiring tooth extraction will be recruited after obtaining informed consent. Participants will be randomly allocated into two groups using sealed opaque envelopes. Group A will receive conventional infiltration anesthesia with 2% lidocaine alone, while Group B will receive 5% topical lidocaine prior to administration of 2% lidocaine infiltration anesthesia.

The primary outcome measure will be pain intensity, assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Pain scores will be recorded at 5, 15, and 30 minutes following the procedure. Relevant demographic and clinical variables, including age, gender, smoking status, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, will also be collected to evaluate potential confounding factors.

The intervention poses minimal risk to participants, as both topical and infiltrative lidocaine are routinely used and well-established agents in dental practice. Patients with known allergies to lidocaine, pregnant or lactating women, and individuals unwilling to participate will be excluded to ensure participant safety. All participants will receive the standard of care required for tooth extraction irrespective of study allocation.

The anticipated benefit of this study is the generation of evidence regarding the effectiveness of topical anesthesia as an adjunctive measure for reducing injection-related pain. The findings may contribute to improved patient comfort, reduced anxiety, enhanced treatment acceptance, and optimization of pain management protocols in routine dental practice.