The need for pain control during scaling and root planing.

Scaling and root planing is a common procedure in clinical practice. Despite the frequency of the procedure, the control of pain associated with scaling and root planing has not been well studied. Recently, studies have pointed out a need for pain control during the procedure in a significant number of subjects-perhaps as many as 30% of patients. This need for pain control is similar to the need for instrumentation during maintenance therapy. The need also is similar whether hand instrumentation or ultrasonic equipment is used. The current most used form of pain control is local anesthesia injections. However, many patients object to the use of "the needle." Therefore, there is a need for a noninjectable form of pain control that is effective.