110 - Local Anesthesia Effect on Postoperative Comfort for General Anesthesia Cases

Purpose: To determine the effect of local anesthesia on postoperative pain in patients undergoing dental care under general anesthesia.

Methods: This study was modeled as a double-blinded randomized control trial. Patients included healthy children under the age of 6 scheduled for restorative dental treatment under general anesthesia. Patient behavior was evaluated pre- and post-operatively using the FLACC or other pain score and post-operatively using the Parental Pain Score Measure. Intraoperatively, participants followed a standardized general anesthesia protocol and were given either local anesthetic infiltration by the dental surgeon performing the surgery, or no anesthesia was utilized. Patient’s time in PACU was noted upon discharge.


Results: Differences in PACU time were compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum test and differences in proportion of patients demonstrating distress at 30 minutes postoperative was assessed using Fisher's exact test. Results from 19 patients were included in the preliminary analysis. Time spent in recovery/PACU did not differ significantly between the two groups, with a median of 41 minutes for both groups (P=.8718). However, patients who received local anesthesia were marginally more likely to demonstrate distress (FLACC or other pain scale >0) than those who did not receive local anesthesia (P=.0573). Among those who received local anesthesia, 55% (n=5) demonstrated some level of distress at 30 minutes compared to 10% (n=1) of those who did not receive local anesthesia.

Conclusion: Use of local anesthesia demonstrated a trend towards significance in increased post op distress.

Identify Supporting Agency and Grant Number: “Research supported by the Alexander Fellowship”