Perception of pain during initial fixed orthodontic treatment

Abstract

Aim: The present study aims to evaluate the pain experienced by individuals during the first days of fixed orthodontic treatment.

Methodology: One hundred and twenty patients (65 female; mean age: 18 ± 21 years) were given fixed orthodontic treatment, including the placement of a 0.014 Ni-Ti conventional arch wire (American Orthodontics, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA) after the bonding procedure with maxillary and mandibular rear 0.022” slot Roth brackets (Mini Master Series, American Orthodontics, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA). A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess the level of pain the patients experienced on the first, second, and seventh days of the treatment. The mean VAS scores of the male and female patients were compared using the student’s t-test, ANOVA, and the chi-square test.

Results: Males were found to have higher mean VAS scores on the first and second days of the treatment compared to the females (p = 0.001 and p = 0.038, respectively). A greater proportion of the patients (33.33%) experienced pain on the first day of the treatment compared to the second and seventh days (p <0.05).

Conclusion: It was determined that the patients experienced the highest level of pain on the first day of fixed orthodontic treatment. The male patients experienced a higher level of pain than the females on the first and second days of the treatment.

How to cite this article: Topal R. Perception of pain during initial fixed orthodontic treatment. Int Dent Res 2021;11(2):62-6. https://doi.org/10.5577/intdentres.2021.vol11.no2.2

Linguistic Revision: The English in this manuscript has been checked by at least two professional editors, both native speakers of English.