A Split Mouth Trial to Compare Microneedles vs. Standard Needles in Dental Anaesthetic Delivery

The study will be completed as a two part, prospective, single-centre, randomised controlled trial.

Five volunteers (dentists) will be recruited in the first part of the study in order to evaluate and examine the microneedle device and its use. Based on those qualitative findings (individual interviews and focus group) modifications to the microneedle device will be implemented before part two of the study commences.

Twenty healthy male volunteers will be invited to participate in the second part of the study. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive a dental anaesthetic solution injection with a microneedle device (Group I) or with a standard thirty-gauge short hypodermic needles (Group II) in the first week of the second part of the study.

Group I: The microneedle device will be applied randomly to the left or right buccal mucosa of the first premolar tooth in the maxilla in order to inject slowly a standard local dental anaesthetic solution.

Group II: A standard thirty-gauge short hypodermic needles will be used for insertion and injection of the same standard local dental anaesthetic solution randomly to the left or right buccal mucosa of the first premolar tooth in the maxilla.

Quantitative and qualitative measurements of the pain experienced and the depth of anaesthesia achieved will be recorded for both groups and compared.

In order to eliminate any carryover effects, a washout period of one week between receiving a second, opposite injection will be applied (i.e. Group I will receive an injection with a standard thirty-gauge short hypodermic needles and Group II an injection with the microneedle device). The buccal mucosa of the first premolar tooth in the untreated, opposite maxilla side will receive an injection with the remaining injection method following the same procedure as described for the first week.

Inclusion criteria

•Individuals are considered eligible for the study if they are not taking any medications and are deemed competent to complete the McGill pain questionnaire short-form (MPQ-SF) and visual analogue scale (VAS).

Exclusion criteria

• Individuals will be excluded from the study if they suffer from the following conditions:

• Hypersensitivity to anaesthetics of the amide type
• Epilepsy
• Hypertension, impaired cardiac conduction
• Impaired respiratory function
• Impaired hepatic function
• Cerebrovascular insufficiency
• Thyrotoxicosis
• Interventions not permitted during the study include the use of steroids, analgesics or other non-steroidal inflammatory drugs and smoking.