An earplug technique to reduce the gag reflex during dental procedures.
BACKGROUND
The gag reflex is a frequent problem occurring during dental treatment procedures, especially while making impressions of the maxillary teeth. The present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a simple earplug as an external auditory canal stimulator to supress the profound gag reflex and as a second step, to map areas of the oropharynx suppressed by this technique.


METHODS
In the first step of the study, 90 patients who had a gag reflex during the impression procedure were allocated to a study group, a sham group, and a control group for evaluating the efficacy of the earplug technique. Second, 20 new patients with a gag reflex were included in order to map the oropharnygeal areas suppressed by this technique.


RESULTS
The severity of the gag reflex was reduced in the earplug group (but not in the sham or the control group). The affected area included the hard palate, uvula, and the tongue but not the posterior wall of oropharynx.


CONCLUSIONS
An earplug technique can be a useful, practical, and effective tool to overcome the gag reflex during oral procedures, such as impression procedures of maxillary teeth.
Department of Anatomy, Rumelifeneri Campus, School of Medicine, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Yusuf Ozgur
YO
Cakmak
Omer
O
Ozdogmus
Yumusan
Y
Günay
Bahadır
B
Gürbüzer
Emre
E
Tezulaş
Elif Ciğdem
EC
Kaspar
Hüsniye
H
Hacıoglu
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003729:Dental Care; D003761:Dental Impression Technique / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004430:Ear Protective Devices; D005260:Female; D005683:Gagging / Q000502:physiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005930:Glossopharyngeal Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008437:Maxilla; D008875:Middle Aged; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000503:physiopathology; D021362:Palate, Hard / Q000503:physiopathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014059:Tongue / Q000503:physiopathology; D014609:Uvula / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
C074416:Kromgel; D009930:Organic Chemicals