Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Study design was not a pre-specified criterion. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and one phase-lag design were reviewed.
Specific interventions included in the review
Trials comparing the efficacy or safety of lidocaine-prilocaine and tetracaine for skin anaesthesia were included. In the included studies, the lidocaine-prilocaine dosage ranged from 1 to 2.5 g with and the mean duration of application ranged from 40 minutes to 1.9 hours; the tetracaine dosage was 1 g (information unavailable for one study) and the mean duration of application ranged from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Participants included in the review
Children aged up to 18 years were included. The age of the children in the included studies ranged from 1 to 16 years. The procedures they underwent were venous cannulation, venipuncture Port-a-Cath puncture and laser treatment.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The included studies used measures of pain. The measures used were the poker chip tool, visual analogue scale, observer distress rating and faces scale. Three studies used patient assessment of pain only, 3 studies used health professional assessment of pain only, and 2 used patient, professional and parent assessment of pain.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
Decisions were made independently by two reviewers.