Abstract
At the Institute of Dentistry of the University of Helsinki one lower jaw wisdom tooth was surgically extracted from each of the 80 patients under standard conditions, and an attempt was made to prevent postoperative pain by transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TNS). The patients were divided into four groups of 20 persons. One group (No. 2) acted as controls, while the others received stimulation for 30 min at 100 Hz. Group 1 was given stimulation immediately postoperatively on the operated side in the region of f. mentale and angulus, Group 3 the same treatment postoperatively but bilaterally in the region of f. infraorbitale, and Group 4 the same bilaterally and preoperatively in the region of f. infraorbitale. Pain intensity was lower only in Group 1, early in the eight hour observation period, than in the control group, the difference at two hours being significant (p < 0.05). No significant differences between the various groups were seen in the amounts of analgesic (VeralginR) consumed. The method used in this study is not efficient enough for preventing postoperative pain.
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