Topical anesthetic gels reduce initial orthodontic pain by 24%

A PubMed review of randomized trials in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics found that benzocaine and lidocaine gels lowered early orthodontic pain scores by an average of 24% within the first 24 hours (p<0.05), potentially reducing reliance on systemic analgesics. Despite promising comfort improvements, the authors note limited RCT quality and call for standardized, larger studies. For BDS dentists, topical gels offer an accessible adjunct to improve patient compliance in the initial treatment phase.