The effect of electronic dental analgesia during sonic scaling.
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of electronic dental analgesia (EDA) during sonic scaling. The clinical trial included 30 healthy adult subjects and was conducted as a randomised single-blind split-mouth design. The applied procedure consisted of periodontal scaling by means of a sonic scaler, while using the EDA device either in an active or placebo state. Rather similar results were obtained for the subjective pain rating in both the active and the placebo trials. When patients rated their discomfort on a scale 0-4 from no pain to very severe pain, the mean (s.d.) score for both the EDA and the placebo was 1.2 (0.6). The subjective pain estimate was positively correlated to the electrical current intensity provided. This implied that with a stronger pain experience, patients tried to administer more anaesthesia by turning the dial of the control box to an increased intensity of the electrical current. This remained insufficient to eliminate pain sensation. It was concluded that application of electronic dental anaesthesia in periodontal treatment remains questionable.
Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
R
R
Jacobs
D
D
van Steenberghe
D000328:Adult; D016058:Analgesia, Patient-Controlled / Q000295:instrumentation; D000766:Anesthesia, Dental / Q000295:instrumentation; D012534:Dental Scaling; D003807:Dentin Sensitivity / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000517:prevention & control; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010919:Placebos; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation; D014464:Ultrasonic Therapy
D010919:Placebos