Pain relief for paediatric dental chair anaesthesia: current practice in a community dental clinic.

Aim: A review of different modes of pain relief for simple dental extractions under general anaesthesia in a community dental setting.
Patients and Methods: Different analgesia regimens are used by different anaesthetic teams working in a single community clinic. A total of 72 patients were reviewed post-operatively in the recovery room and followed up with a telephone survey 24 h later to assess pain experienced by the patients. The efficacy of different analgesia regimens was analysed.
Results: The majority of patients were pain free in recovery, independent of the method of pain relief used. Local anaesthetic injections appear superior to systemic analgesia, and patients with local anaesthetic injections were more settled in recovery.
Discussion: Simple dental extractions cause pain and efficient administration of appropriate analgesia should be an integral part of the community dental service.