The Journal of prosthetic dentistry
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Discomfort and bite force in painful masseter muscles after intramuscular injections of local anesthetic and saline solution.
Thirty women with a history of daily pain in the masseter muscles were injected with either lidocaine or saline. The participants were told that they were being given an anesthetic injection to reduce their muscular discomfort. The dentist performing the injections did not know which fluid was used. ⋯ The intraindividual force values increased significantly after injection in the saline group. This effect was not found in the lidocaine group. Despite the minor tendencies for lidocaine to have a better effect, the placebo effect was considered to be high and important.