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. 1989 Mar-Apr;36(2):52–57.

Effect of peripheral electrical stimulation on measures of tooth pain threshold and oral soft tissue comfort in children.

S M Abdulhameed, R J Feigal, J D Rudney, K C Kajander
PMCID: PMC2148637  PMID: 2604057

Abstract

The effect of peripheral electrical stimulation on tooth pain threshold and comfort of oral soft tissue was evaluated in 30 children, using a double-blind, crossover, study design. Tooth pain threshold was measured before and after 8 minutes of electrical or sham stimulation. Comfort of oral soft tissue during placement of a rubber dam clamp was evaluated 3 minutes after electrical or sham stimulation was begun. Comfort level was rated by each subject and by the investigator, using a visual analog scale (VAS). Heart rate was measured before and immediately following placement of the clamp. Electrical stimulation significantly increased tooth pain threshold and reduced the cardiovascular stress response without altering comfort levels during placement of the clamp. These findings suggest that peripheral electrical stimulation applied in a pediatric dental setting alters sensory aspects of pain but not affective aspects of comfort.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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