Pain Ease, from Gebauer Company, Cleveland, was used in a recently published study on the effectiveness of vapocoolant compared with topical anesthetic gel (20% benzocaine) during posterior palatal injections.
 
The split-mouth design study included 16 participants. Each participant randomly received a 5-second application of Pain Ease and 20% benzocaine anesthetic gel on each posterior palatal area. An injection of local anesthetic with a 30-guage needle was then administered and participants rated their pain using a 100-milimeter visual analog scale with endpoints of “no pain” and “worst pain possible”. The higher the score meant a greater level of pain experienced by the participant.
 
According to an announcement from Gebauer Company the researchers concluded, “The use of refrigerant (vapocoolant) as a preinjection anesthetic was more effective than the use of a topical anesthetic gel in reducing the pain experienced by patients who received posterior palatal injections.”
 
The study appears in the Journal of the American Dental Association, Volume 140.