Effect of menthol on pain perception after placing brass wire separators: A split-mouth randomized controlled trial

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose Pain caused by the orthodontic separators is one of the most common complaints among orthodontic patients. Pain management can increase patients’ comfort and quality of life during orthodontic treatment. The present study aimed to assess the effect of local menthol patches on pain caused by brass wire separators. Methods We performed a split-mouth clinical trial from May 2018 to January 2019 (IRCT2016080129155N1). The study population comprised thirty-two 14- to 25-year-old healthy patients with intact dentition in mandible, without a history of chronic pain or regular consumption of analgesics. After placing brass wire separators on both mandibular first molars, we gave each patient two series of patches – containing menthol and placebo – to use on the right and left sides. Researchers as well as patients were unaware of each patch’s contents as they were identified by randomly assigned numbers. The main outcome, patients’ pain perception, was evaluated by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at 0, 2, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72 hours after placing separators. Data were analysed by the paired T-test. Significance was considered as 0.05. Results Thirty-two patients completed the study. Data analysis suggests that patients’ pain perception significantly (P-value <0.05) lowered on the menthol side at 2 (mean difference: 1.18 ± 1.31), 6 (mean difference: 0.91 ± 1.06) and 12 (mean difference: 0.5 ± 1.37) hours after placing separators. None of the patients experienced pain at 72 hours. Conclusion Menthol patch could significantly reduce pain perception in patients who receive brass wire separators prior to orthodontic bonding.