Sex Differences in Children’s Pain and Anxiety During Local Anesthesia Using Buzzy as a Pain-Relief Aid

Abstract

Introduction: Pain and anxiety during dental procedures, particularly during local anesthesia administration, remain significant concerns in pediatric dentistry. The Buzzy device — combining vibration and cold — is used as a nonpharmacological intervention to mitigate these responses.

The aim of the research: To evaluate gender-based differences in pain and anxiety responses among children aged 6–10 years after the application of the Buzzy device during inferior alveolar nerve block injections, using the FLACC and FIS assessment tools.

Materials and Methods: Twenty-five children (11 males and 14 females, aged 6–10 years) received the Buzzy device applied adjacent to the injection site prior to inferior alveolar nerve block administration. Pain was evaluated using the FLACC Scale and anxiety was assessed using the Facial Image Scale (FIS), both before and after the injection. Comparisons between males and females were conducted using the Mann–Whitney U test.

Results: No significant age difference was found between genders (P = 0.670). Before anesthesia, both pain (FLACC) and anxiety (FIS) scores were very low in both groups. After anesthesia, mean FLACC and FIS scores increased slightly between males and females, with females showing higher median values; however, gender differences were not statistically significant for FLACC (P = 0.202) or for FIS (P = 0.103). Correlation analysis revealed weak and non-significant relationships between pain and anxiety scores before (ρ = –0.102, P = 0.627) and after anesthesia (ρ = 0.221, P = 0.289).

Conclusion: In conclusion, the Buzzy device proved to be an effective adjunct for pain and anxiety control during inferior alveolar nerve block injections in children, with similar benefits observed across genders.