Impact of acupressure on anxiety and pain during local anesthetic injection in pediatric patients: a triple-blinded clinical trial

AbstractBackground: The highest dental anxiety is caused by the pain of local anesthetic injection. Techniques such as acupressure have been introduced to reduce anxiety and pain. This study aimed to investigate the effect of acupressure on the reduction of anxiety and pain during local anesthetic injection in ۵-۷ year-old children.Methods: This triple-blinded clinical trial, was conducted on ۷۱ children in the age range of ۵-۷ year-old . Children were divided into two groups and acupressure was performed on the key points (yintang, hegu) and placebo before local anesthesia. Then the level of anxiety and pain was measured. Visual analogue scale (VAS-A) and FPS-R (Facial Pain Scale-Revised) tools were used to measure dental anxiety and injection pain, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS ver. ۲۰ software by analysis of variance and Wilcoxon test at the significance level of ۰.۰۵.Results: The results of the present study showed that acupressure is significantly effective in reducing dental anxiety and injection pain in children (p<۰.۰۰۱). Also, the results showed that acupressure technique significantly reduces pain in ۵ and ۶-year-old children, but not ۷-year-old children (p-value=۰.۲۲). Our results indicated that acupressure at the key point significantly reduces anxiety and pain in both genders (p-value<۰.۰۵), but it was not significant in placebo points.Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, acupressure technique is significantly effective in reducing anxiety in ۵-۷-year-old children and injection pain in ۵-۶-year-old children of both genders.

Keywords:

Acupressure , Anxiety , Dental treatment , injection , Pain