A Comparative Study to Evaluate the Effect of Honey and Zinc Oxide Eugenol Dressing for the Treatment of Dry Socket: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Dry socket is a common postoperative complication secondary to any tooth extraction but is more commonly associated with mandibular third molars. Dry socket has been treated with various treatment modalities with different success rates. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of using honey and zinc oxide eugenol as an intra-socket medicament for the treatment of dry sockets. Ninety patients were divided into three groups as follows: Group 1 “honey”: 30 patients; Group 2 “zinc oxide eugenol”: 30 patients; and Group 3 “control”: 30 patients. Pre-medication and post-medication pain scores at different time intervals were measured on a verbal rating scale. The mean ages of the patients in each of the groups were as follows: Group 1: 44.26 ± 14.14; Group 2: 45.30 ± 18.08; and Group 3: 51.93 ± 9.75. As regards verbal rating scale pain scores, a significant difference was noted in patients that belonged to Groups 1 and 2, with an immediate reduction in post-medication pain scores. However, patients belonging to Group 3 reported pain and discomfort for over a week. The use of honey and zinc oxide eugenol resulted in significant immediate post-medication pain scores in patients as compared to the control group. Therefore, both honey and zinc oxide eugenol can be used as treatment options for dry socket patients.

Exploration of Hospital Inpatients' Use of the Verbal Rating Scale of Pain

Background: Assessment of pain largely relies on self-report. Hospitals routinely use pain scales, such as the Verbal Rating Scale (VRS), to record patients' pain, but such scales are unidimensional, concatenating pain intensity and other dimensions of pain with significant loss of clinical information. This study explored how inpatients understand and use the VRS in a hospital setting.Methods: Forty five participants were interviewed, with data analysed by thematic analysis, and completed a task concerned with the VRS and communication of other dimensions of pain.Results: Participants anchored their pain experience in the physical properties of pain, its tolerability, and its impact on functioning. Their relationship to analgesic medication, personal coping styles, and experiences of staff all influenced how they used the VRS to communicate their pain.Conclusion: Participants grounded and explained their pain in semantically similar but idiosyncratic ways. The VRS was used to combine pain intensity with multiple other elements of pain and often as a way to request analgesic medication. Pain scores need to be explored and elaborated by patient and staff, content of which will imply access to non-pharmacological resources to manage pain.

The 12-Item Pruritus Severity Scale – Determining the Severity Bands

Introduction: Assessment of pruritus still remains a challenge due to its subjective character. Various itch questionnaires are widely used to evaluate the severity of pruritus. The aim of the current study was to define the cut off values for the 12-Item Pruritus Severity Scale (12-PSS).Methods: A total of 240 patients (86 males and 154 females) in the age between 19 and 87 years (mean 52.9 ± 20.7 years) suffering from pruritic dermatological conditions were asked to assess their maximal pruritus with the 12-PSS, the Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) and the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). All subjects also completed the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). VRS, NRS, and DLQI scorings were used as anchor measures to define cut-offs of 12-PSS.Results: According to VRS, 43 (17.9%) patients suffered from mild, 96 (40%) from moderate, 65 (27.1%) from severe and 36 (15%) from very severe pruritus. Mean 12-PSS scoring for each VRS category was 7.6 ± 3.9, 10.4 ± 3.9, 13.0 ± 3.8, and 13.9 ± 3.8 points, respectively (p < 0.001). Each VRS category significantly differed from the others regarding the mean 12-PSS scoring, except the mean scoring of severe and very severe pruritus (p = 0.72). Thus, three pruritus severity categories of 12-PSS were defined with following score ranges: mild pruritus−3–6 points of 12-PSS, moderate pruritus−7–11 points of 12-PSS and severe pruritus−12–22 points of 12-PSS based on calculation of weighted κ coefficient against VRS, NRS, and DLQI as anchor measures.Conclusions: The 12-PSS is able to differentiate between patients suffering from mild, moderate, and severe pruritus.

PENGALAMAN DAN MANAJEMEN NYERI PASIEN PASCA OPERASI DI RUANG KEMUNING V RSUP Dr. HASAN SADIKIN BANDUNG : STUDI KASUS

ABSTRAKNyeri adalah gejala subjektif; hanya klien yang dapat mendeskripsikannya. Salah satu penyebab nyeri adalah tindakan pembedahan atau operasi. Jika nyeri tidak dikendalikan, hal tersebut memperpanjang proses penyembuhan dengan menyebabkan komplikasi pernapasan, ekskresi, peredaran darah, dan sistemik lainnya. Sebagai akibatnya, beberapa pasien meninggal, kualitas hidup dan pasien kepuasan menurun, lamanya tinggal di rumah sakit meningkat, dan biaya perawatan meningkat. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menggambarkan pengalaman nyeri, menganalisis manajemen nyeri dan mengevaluasi efektivitas manajement nyeri pasca operasi. Metode penelitian: studi fenomena dengan studi kasus menelaah pengalaman nyeri dan pengelolaan nyeri paska operasi pada 4 pasien di ruang rawat inap Kemuning V RSUP Dr. Hasan Sadikin Bandung. Hasil penelitian dari pengalaman nyeri pasca operasi bervariasi dan dipengaruhi oleh beberapa faktor yaitu usia, jenis kelamin, jenis pembedahan dan budaya. Pengkajian skala nyeri juga tidak bisa hanya melibatkan satu skala tapi dapat dilihat dari karakteristik pasien, contohnya pasien diatas 65 tahun lebih efektif menggunakan Verbal Rating Scale (VRS). Pemberian analgesik masih kurang efektif karena pasien belum bebas nyeri. Tehnik non farmakologi relaksasi efektif mengurangi nyeri pasca bedah abdomen. Kesimpulan: Format pengkajian berisikan elemen COLDSPA dapat digunakan dalam mengkaji nyeri secara komprehensif. Bagi pasien lansia, skala VRS lebih mudah dimengerti. Pemberian obat analgesic opioid adalah pada skala nyeri sedang-berat, perlu dipertimbangkan mengenai pemberian obat secara prn (pro re nata), dimana perawat dan pasien terlibat dalam pengambilan keputusan untuk mengelola perawatan nyeri akut dan pasien merasa dilibatkan dan memiliki kendali atas nyeri yang dirasakan. Metoda non-farmakologi lain, selain relaksasi dapat dikombinasikan untuk mengurangi nyeri pasca operasi.

Scales for pain assessment in cervical dentin hypersensitivity: a comparative study

Background Currently, different pain scales are used extensively to measure clinical pain, especially in dental practice. Objective This study aims to compare pain scales used in clinical research and dental practice, identifying the easiest to understand by patients with Cervical Dentin Hypersensitivity. Method Seventy-four patients with Cervical Dentin Hypersensitivity were stimulated by a thermic test of the sensitive tooth, followed by application of different pain measurement scales (Visual Analogue Scale, Faces Pain Scales, Numeric Rating Scale, and Verbal Rating Scale) and by a questionnaire to evaluate the patient's perception regarding the ease of understanding scales. The statistic tests used were the Wilcoxon, Spearman correlation, and Chi-Square tests. Results The results founded a strong positive correlation between the scales (r = 0.798 to 0.960 p <0.001). The was easiest scale to understand according to the patients was the Verbal Rating Scale (52.7%). Conclusion The pain measurement scales evaluated provide similar information about pain reported in the Cervical Dentin Hypersensitivity allowing the comparison between studies that used them to measure pain. The affinity of the patient with the pain scale can guide the clinical dental practice in the different levels of health care.