SynthesisClinical and experimental dental research2026
Topical Anesthetics Effectiveness in Management of Orthodontic Pain: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Synthesis in Clinical and experimental dental research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Topical Anesthetics Effectiveness in Management of Orthodontic Pain: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Clinical and experimental dental research · 2026Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesOrthodontic treatment can be associated with pain, particularly during separator placement, appliance insertion, or activation. Topical anesthetics may offer a simple, locally applied alternative to systemic analgesics, but their effectiveness remains uncertain. The objective of this review was to evaluate the efficacy of topical anesthetics, compared to other treatments or no treatment, in reducing orthodontic pain. MATERIAL AND
methodsEligible studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing topical anesthetics (gels or patches) with placebo, no treatment, or other active pain-control interventions in orthodontic patients. Five databases (PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane CENTRAL, Embase, Web of Science) were searched up to 14th March 2026, with no language or date restrictions. Data were extracted in duplicate, and the risk of bias was assessed using the ROB-2 tool. Due to heterogeneity, only a qualitative synthesis was performed.
resultsNine RCTs (456 participants, mean age 14-35 years; 36.3% male) conducted in four countries were included. Benzocaine was the most investigated, followed by lidocaine, prilocaine/lidocaine, and menthol. Most studies examined separator-induced pain. Eight of nine trials reported significant reductions in pain intensity with topical anesthetics at one or more time points, particularly within the first 24 to 72 h. Benzocaine consistently showed superior outcomes compared with placebo. Lidocaine and prilocaine/lidocaine provided rapid analgesia, especially in patients with high anxiety or low pain thresholds. Menthol patches also showed significant short-term pain reduction in two studies. Risk of bias was moderate in most trials.
conclusionTopical anesthetics can be effective in reducing short-term orthodontic pain. Their use may reduce reliance on systemic analgesics and improve patient comfort during the initial stages of treatment. However, evidence quality remains limited, and further high-quality RCTs with standardized protocols are needed.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.