Chewing gum and orthodontic pain

Summary Background Pain and discomfort are main concerns at the commencement of orthodontic treatment. It may have negative impact on compliance or even discourage patients from being treated. Orthodontic pain can be alleviated by paracetamol or use of chewing gum. However, studies comparing their effectiveness are scarce. Objectives To compare the effectiveness of paracetamol versus chewing gum for pain alleviation and to investigate the frequency of bracket loss during the first day of fixed orthodontic treatment. Trail design Prospective randomized multicentre clinical trial. Methods Sixty patients (28 boys and 32 girls), between 12 and 18 years of age were randomly allocated either to take paracetamol (31 patients) or to use chewing gum (29 patients). After one arch bonding and insertion of the initial archwire, the patients rated the sensation of pain on a visual analogue scale with the jaw at rest and when biting after 6 hours (T1), at bedtime (T2), and the next morning (T3). Paracetamol (1000 mg) was taken 1 hour and chewing gum was used 10 minutes prior to pain rating at T2 and T3. A simple method of randomization was used in this study, and blinding of subjects and the operators to the type of intervention was not possible because of the nature of the treatments. Results There was no detectable difference in pain sensation between the groups at T1. At T2 and T3 the chewing gum group displayed higher mean values than the paracetamol group but when adjusting for age, gender, and mode of pain registration, there was no significant difference between the groups. There was no bracket loss in the chewing gum group, whereas two patients in the paracetamol group lost two brackets. Conclusions The effect of chewing gum and paracetamol for initial orthodontic pain relief seems equivalent. Short term use of chewing gum is not a risk factor for bracket loss. Trial registration This study was not registered.

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What Can Be Done With Baling Wire and Chewing Gum?

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e532012012-021 ◽

2007 ◽

Author(s):

Judge Karla Fultz ◽

Todd Beveridge

Keyword(s):

Chewing Gum

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Effect of Chewing Gum on Bowel Motility in Women Undergoing Post-Operative Cesarean Section

International Journal of Innovative Research in Medical Science ◽

10.23958/ijirms/vol03-i06/04 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (06) ◽

Author(s):

Dr.Randa Mohammed AboBaker

Keyword(s):

Cesarean Section ◽

Hospital Stay ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Length Of Hospital Stay ◽

Chewing Gum ◽

Control Group ◽

Controlled Clinical Trial ◽

Bowel Motility ◽

Gum Chewing ◽

Significant Difference

Postoperative Ileus (POI) is one of the most common problems after obstetrics, gynecologic and abdominal surgeries. Sham feeding, such as gum chewing, accelerates the return of bowel function and the length of hospital stay. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of chewing gum on bowel motility in women undergoing post-operative cesarean section. Intervention study was used at the Postpartum Department of Maternity and Children Hospital, KSA. A randomized controlled clinical trial research design. Through a convenience technique, 80 post Caesarian Section (CS) women were included in the study. Data were collected through three tools: Tool (I): Socio-demographic data and reproductive history interview schedule. Tool (II): Postoperative Assessment Sheet. Tool (III): Outcomes of gum chewing and the length of hospital stay. Method: subjects were assigned randomly into two groups of (40) the experimental and (40) the control. Subjects in the study group were asked to chew two pieces of sugarless gum for 30 min/three times daily in the morning, noon, and evening immediately after recovery from anesthesia and in Postpartum Department; while subjects in the control group followed the hospital routine care. Each woman in both groups was tested abdominally using a stethoscope to auscultate the bowel sounds and asked to report immediately the time of either passing flatus or stool. Results: illustrated that a highly statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups concerning their gum chewing outcomes. Where, P = 0.000. The study concluded that gum chewing is safe, well tolerated and appears to be effective in reducing the incidence and consequences of POI following CS.

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