Sound Stimulation and Its Effect on Dental Sensation Threshold

Abstract

The success of "auditory analgesia" in dental operations may be a result of distraction, suggestion, or cross-sensory masking, or of a combination of the three. An attempt to separate these influences was made by measuring the change in sensitivity to electrical stimulation of the teeth in typical dental patients upon presentation of loud white noise. No differences in this "tingle" threshold under noise and no-noise conditions were found, either when preliminary instructions were neutral or after implicit or explicit suggestion that the noise would raise the threshold. These results indicate that auditory analgesia is probably not an example of cross-sensory masking, and that its successful use in the clinical situation depends both on distraction and on suggestion.

Effect of White Sound on Pain Threshold

“…These results do not indicate that sound stimulation alters the threshold for pain produced by the contraction of ischaemic muscle. As the effects of analgesics upon visceral pain are similar to those on superficial pain (Harrison and Bigelow, 1943), the findings are in accordance with the observations of Robson and Davenport (1962) and Carlin et al (1962). On the other hand, Clutton-Brock (1962) found that with moderate intensities of white sound a fair degree of analgesia was produced in about half the subjects.…”

“…Two hundred teeth were extracted without report of objectionable pain. Carlin et al (1962) studied the effect of sound stimulation on dental sensation threshold by application of electrical stimulation to teeth. White sound was administered at noise levels of 100 db SPL (sound pressure level) and 120 db SPL to fifty-six dental clinic patients.…”

Control of Anxiety in Pediatric Patients using “Tell Show Do” Method and Audiovisual Distraction

“…14 Different means of distraction include video games, sound, watching video and television, pictures, cartoons and audiotaped stories, etc. [15][16][17][18] This study was designed to evaluate and compare the efficiency of TSD and AVD in reducing child anxiety during dental treatment.…”

Effect of simultaneous auditory stimulation on vibrotactile thresholds

“…Howitt and Stricker (1966), using an auditory masker whose onset preceded the signal by 1 sec, were unable to show an increase in pain thresholds or tolerance to electrostimulation of the tooth pulp. Other studies have been unable to demonstrate that auditory maskers are effective in reducing pain (Carlin, Ward, Gershon, & Ingraham, 1962;Camp, Martin, & Chapman, 1962) or taste thresholds (McFadden, Barr, & Young, 1971).…”