Comparing the Efficacy of a Compound Topical Anesthetic Versus Benzocaine: A Pilot Study.

To compare the effectiveness of a combination of 10% lidocaine, 10% prilocaine, and 4% tetracaine versus 20% benzocaine for use as a topical anesthetic agent prior to dental injections. A double-blind randomized prospective clinical trial was conducted with 26 participants receiving a topical anesthetic of 20% benzocaine (control) and 26 participants receiving a compound topical anesthetic mixture of 10% lidocaine, 10% prilocaine, and 4% tetracaine (experimental) prior to a maxillary infiltration injection. The procedure was conducted by 1 operator with the Wand injection system.