Children's preference of benzocaine gel versus the lidocaine patch.

PURPOSE This study compared pain, acceptance, and preference associated with 2 topical anesthetics: benzocaine gel and lidocaine patch (DentiPatch). METHODS Thirty patients aged 3 to 10 years participated in this within-subjects study. All children required identical or similar dental work bilaterally (restorations, extractions, endodontic procedures, or sealants). Subjects chose either DentiPatch or benzocaine gel at the first visit. The anesthetic the child did not choose was used at the second visit. The Whali-Wong scale was used to measure comfort before and after application of topical anesthetic and after injection, and the Sounds, Eyes, Motor (SEM) scale measured pain upon injection. RESULTS At the first visit, 80% of subjects selected DentiPatch; 60% of subjects made their choice based on appearance. Younger children more than older children were influenced by appearance in their selection. After trying both topical anesthetics, 77% preferred DentiPatch; final preference and either age or gender were not significantly related. The gel had greater scores than the patch for the Sounds pain value and for the SEM scale composite score. CONCLUSIONS The lidocaine patch was associated with some objective evidence of reduced pain compared to the gel and was preferred by most children.