Özet:

Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of bite wafer (BW) in reducing pain levels, which is a highly complex and subjective phenomenon by assessing the substance P level in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) at different time intervals after initial arch wire placement. Methods: A parallel 2-group prospective case control study was designed for the estimation of substance P levels in GCF after bite-wafer chewing to validate orthodontic pain reduction. The sample size consisted of 80 subjects (47 males and 33 females, mean age of 18.94±2.87 years), who were randomly divided into two groups as the BW group (BWG) and the control group (CG). Fixed orthodontic appliance was placed in each patients of both groups and 0.014-inch nickel-titanium wire was placed and ligated. GCF was collected from the BW and CG before and 8, 24 and 72 hours after the initiation of orthodontic treatment. Unpaired T test was applied between the control and experimental group to evaluate the significant difference between the groups. Results: The substance P level in GCF for both the BWG and CG followed a similar curve i.e., their levels increased after 8 hours, reached its peak at 24 hours and decreased gradually at 72 hours. The mean substance P level was significantly lower in the BWG compared to the CG, which implied that rhythmic chewing of BW helps in alleviating pain. Conclusion: Bite wafers offer an excellent non-pharmacological option in reducing substance p level, thus indicating pain alleviation after orthodontic procedures.

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