The effect of dental treatment on sensitivity threshold
Stevens, C.W.
Clinical Preventive Dentistry 7(5): 21-23
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0163-9633 PMID: 3878258 Document Number: 253441
The purpose of this study was to determine if sensitivity threshold can be altered by the application of topical anesthetic gel and/or a noxious stimulus during dental prophylaxis treatment. Forty-four patients were randomly assigned to one of four groups to fill a 2 by 2 factorial, between-subjects design. Analyses of variance showed a significant main effect for the noxious stimulus and no main effect for the topical anesthetic gel. The results supported the hypothesis that a noxious stimulus applied during treatment will change the sensitivity threshold making the patient less sensitive after treatment than before, while topical anesthetic gel applied during treatment, without suggestion will have no effect on the sensitivity threshold.