Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To
determine pain during debonding and the effects of different pain
control methods, gender, and personal traits on the pain experience.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Patients
who had fixed orthodontic treatment with metal brackets, but no
surgical treatment or craniofacial deformity, were included. Sixty-three
patients (32 female, aged 17.2 ± 2.9 years; 31 male aged, 17.2 ± 2.5
years) were allocated to three groups (n = 21) according to the pain
control method: finger pressure, elastomeric wafer, or stress relief.
Pain experience for each tooth was scored on a visual analogue scale
(VAS), and general responses of participants to pain were evaluated by
Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS). Multiple linear regression analysis,
the Mann Whitney U-test, and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient
analysis were used to analyze the data.
RESULTS:
When
the VAS scores were adjusted, finger pressure caused a 47% reduction
overall, 56% in lower elastomer wafer total, 59% in lower right arch,
62% in lower left, and 62% in lower anterior compared with the
elastomeric wafer. In the elastomer wafer group, upper and lower
anterior scores were higher than posterior scores, respectively. Females
had higher VAS (lower left and anterior) and total PCS scores than
males. Regardless of the pain control method, total PCS scores were
correlated with total (r = .254), upper total (r = .290), right (r =
.258), left (r = .244), and posterior (r = .278) VAS scores.
CONCLUSIONS:
The
stress relief method showed no difference when compared with the other
groups. Finger pressure was more effective than the elastomeric wafer in
the lower jaw. Higher pain levels were recorded for the anterior
regions with the elastomeric wafer. Females and pain catastrophizers
gave higher VAS scores.
Comments