ScholarlyCommons

Title

An Evaluation of 10 Percent and 20 Percent Benzocaine Gels in Patients With Acute Toothaches: Efficacy, Tolerability and Compliance With Label Dose Administration Directions

Author(s)

Elliot V. Hersh, University of PennsylvaniaFollow
Sebastian G. Ciancio
Arthur S. Kuperstein, University of PennsylvaniaFollow
Eric T. Stoopler, University of PennsylvaniaFollow
Paul A. Moore
Sean G. Boynes
Steven C. Levine
Paul Casamassimo
Rina Leyva
Tanya Mathew
Othman Shibly
Paul Creighton
Gary E. Jeffers
Patricia M. A Corby
Stanley N. Turetzky
Athena Papas
Jillian Wallen
Cynthia Idzik-Starr
Sharon M. Gordon

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of this Version

5-2013

Publication Source

Journal of the American Dental Association

Volume

144

Issue

5

Start Page

517

Last Page

526

DOI

10.14219/jada.archive.2013.0154

Abstract

Background

The authors evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of 10 percent and 20 percent benzocaine gels compared with those of a vehicle (placebo) gel for the temporary relief of toothache pain. They also assessed the compliance with the label dose administration directions on the part of participants with toothache pain.

Methods

Under double-masked conditions, 576 participants self-applied study gel to an open tooth cavity and surrounding oral tissues. Participants evaluated their pain intensity and pain relief for 120 minutes. The authors determined the amount of gel the participants applied.

Results

The responders’ rates (the primary efficacy parameter), defined as the percentage of participants who had an improvement in pain intensity as exhibited by a pain score reduction of at least one unit on the dental pain scale from baseline for two consecutive assessments any time between the five- and 20-minute points, were 87.3 percent, 80.7 percent and 70.4 percent, respectively, for 20 percent benzocaine gel, 10 percent benzocaine gel and vehicle gel. Both benzocaine gels were significantly (P ≤ .05) better than vehicle gel; the 20 percent benzocaine gel also was significantly (P ≤ .05) better than the 10 percent benzocaine gel. The mean amount of gel applied was 235.6 milligrams, with 88.2 percent of participants applying 400 mg or less.

Conclusions

Both 10 percent and 20 percent benzocaine gels were more efficacious than the vehicle gel, and the 20 percent benzocaine gel was more efficacious than the 10 percent benzocaine gel. All treatments were well tolerated by participants.

Practical Implications

Patients can use 10 percent and 20 percent benzocaine gels to temporarily treat toothache pain safely.

Copyright/Permission Statement

© 2013. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Keywords

Benzocaine, toothache, pain, topical anesthetic, methemoglobinemia, double stopwatch

Recommended Citation

Hersh, E. V., Ciancio, S. G., Kuperstein, A. S., Stoopler, E. T., Moore, P. A., Boynes, S. G., Levine, S. C., Casamassimo, P., Leyva, R., Mathew, T., Shibly, O., Creighton, P., Jeffers, G. E., Corby, P. M., Turetzky, S. N., Papas, A., Wallen, J., Idzik-Starr, C., & Gordon, S. M. (2013). An Evaluation of 10 Percent and 20 Percent Benzocaine Gels in Patients With Acute Toothaches: Efficacy, Tolerability and Compliance With Label Dose Administration Directions. Journal of the American Dental Association, 144 (5), 517-526. http://dx.doi.org/10.14219/jada.archive.2013.0154