Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Thesis - MUSC Only

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics

College

College of Dental Medicine

First Advisor

Jing Zhou

Second Advisor

Ricky Harrell

Third Advisor

Lawrence Litman

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to determine the level of discomfort experienced by patients undergoing an interproximal enamel reduction procedure with hand pulled strips and motor driven abrasive strips. More specifically, this experiment will determine if either of these methods generates significantly more pain for the patient than the other. A secondary objective is to evaluate whether there is a correlation between length of enamel reduction procedure and perceived amount of pain. Materials and Methods: 21 patients who were treatment planned to undergo 0.2- 0.3mm of interproximal enamel reduction of at least 2 sites were recruited to participate in the experiment. Lightning strips by Integra and IDEAL motor driven abrasive strips system were each used at different sites to complete 0.2-0.3 mm of enamel reduction. The order of the procedures was determined by a randomization schedule developed by the statistician. Following each enamel reduction procedure, the patient would complete a NRS-11 pain value scale to document the amount of discomfort they experienced. The procedures were timed using a stopwatch. Results: No statistically significant difference was found regarding amount of discomfort caused by hand pulled strips versus motor driven abrasive strips (p=0.1301). Motor driven abrasive strips (56.71 seconds) resulted in a significant reduction in treatment time as compared to the hand pulled strips (104.00 seconds). No significant correlation was found between procedure time and amount of discomfort experienced by the patient (correlation value= 0.1944 7) Conclusions: Orthodontists can confidently use motor driven abrasive strips knowing that they can produce excellent results similar to those of hand pulled strips, in less time, without causing any added discomfort for the patient.

Rights

All rights reserved. Copyright is held by the author.

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