Ortu Eleonora, Di Nicolantonio Sara, Di Felice Roberta, Barone Antonella, Pietropaoli Davide, Monaco Annalisa
Division of TMD and Orofacial Pain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Public Health, Life Sciences and the Environment, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.
Dent J (Basel). 2025 Apr 9;13(4):161. doi: 10.3390/dj13040161.
non-surgical periodontal treatment, primarily comprising scaling and root planing, is crucial for the maintenance and enhancement of oral health. However, the invasive nature of this procedure often leads to patient discomfort and pain, which may deter individuals from seeking necessary dental care, ultimately compromising their oral health outcomes. This prospective randomized crossover split-mouth study involved the application of Ultra-Low Frequency (ULF) Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) in 20 adult patients undergoing non-surgical periodontal treatment. Pain and discomfort levels were quantitatively assessed during procedures conducted with and without the ULF-TENS intervention. The assessment of maximum voluntary opening, pain intensity, and overall comfort levels indicated a statistically significant reduction in pain ( < 0.0001) and discomfort ( < 0.0001) when ULF-TENS was employed during the treatment, and an increase in the maximum mouth opening after TENS ( = 0.00062). The findings of this pilot study suggest that ULF-TENS may serve as a valuable adjunctive therapy in non-surgical periodontal treatment by reducing pain and discomfort, potentially enhancing patient comfort and compliance. Further research with larger sample sizes is warranted to confirm these findings.
非手术牙周治疗主要包括龈上洁治和根面平整，对维持和改善口腔健康至关重要。然而，该治疗方法具有侵入性，常常会导致患者不适和疼痛，这可能会使患者不愿寻求必要的牙科治疗，最终影响其口腔健康状况。这项前瞻性随机交叉双盲研究对20名接受非手术牙周治疗的成年患者应用了超低频经皮神经电刺激（ULF-TENS）。在有和没有ULF-TENS干预的治疗过程中，对疼痛和不适程度进行了定量评估。对最大自主开口度、疼痛强度和总体舒适度的评估表明，在治疗过程中使用ULF-TENS时，疼痛（<0.0001）和不适（<0.0001）在统计学上有显著降低，并且TENS治疗后最大开口度增加（=0.00062）。这项初步研究的结果表明，ULF-TENS通过减轻疼痛和不适，可能会提高患者的舒适度和依从性，从而在非手术牙周治疗中作为一种有价值的辅助治疗方法。有必要进行更大样本量的进一步研究来证实这些发现。
