American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
Randomized controlled trialEffectiveness of pulsed electromagnetic field for pain caused by placement of initial orthodontic wire in female orthodontic patients: A preliminary single-blind randomized clinical trial
Section snippets
Specific objectives and hypotheses
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of PEMF in reducing orthodontic pain after insertion of the initial archwire. The null hypothesis was that there would be no difference in the management of orthodontic pain between the experimental and placebo samples.
Trial design and any changes after trial commencement
This was a single-blind, split-mouth, 2-arm parallel randomized clinical trial with a 1:1 allocation ratio. No changes occurred after trial commencement.
Participants, eligibility criteria, and settings
This randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Department of Orthodontics of Wonkwang University Daejeon Hospital in Korea from September 2015 to March 2016. In the pilot study, male patients were less likely to use the PEMF device (epatchQ; Speed Dental, Seoul, Korea) and answer a survey consistently, so this study was confined to
Participant flow
The study took place over 7 months from September 2015 to March 2016. Initially, 33 patients were recruited, but 3 did not comply. Two of the 3 did not complete the questionnaire, and 1 failed to use the PEMF device because of skin pruritus. These 3 patients were excluded from the study (Fig 5).
Baseline data
As shown previously, the baseline characteristics of the patients in each group were similar, with no significant differences between groups concerning age, sex, and health (dental and general).
Numbers analyzed for each outcome, estimation and precision, subgroup analysis
Table I,
Main findings
Pain is inevitable during orthodontic treatment. Because of this, some people hesitate about or avoid orthodontic treatment. Despite the esthetic and functional demands patients may want or need, they tend to postpone orthodontic treatment and even rationalize this delay.23, 24
The intersex difference in pain perception has been studied for a long time, and it is still controversial.25, 26 The role of age in pain also remains poorly understood. Bergius et al27 reported higher levels of pain in
Conclusions
PEMF devices showed a significant ability to relieve orthodontic pain at 24, 48, and 72 hours after insertion of the initial orthodontic wire in female subjects. Therefore, PEMF may be an effective measure to reduce pain caused by initial tooth movement.
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2019, Veterinary Clinics of North America - Small Animal PracticeCitation Excerpt :It can be theorized that the use of PEMF in the perioperative period in animal patients could also reduce the need for analgesics, including opioids. Studies using PEMF for pain in human patients have also found it safe and effective for low back pain,25,26 dental pain,27 and for pain management of knee osteoarthritis.28 A study involving rats with knee osteoarthritis suggests that PEMF treatment preserved subchondral bone microstructure compared with control.29
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All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest, and none were reported.
Supported by Wonkwang University in 2017.