Effect of TENS on Dental Pain- an Evidence Based Pilot Study

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a device to stimulate the nerves for therapeutic purposes¹. Literature supports TENS as an effective modality in neurological & postoperative pain^{3, 4}. Pain is also a common phenomenon in dental setups. These pains are effectively treated with analgesics in dental treatment. Every analgesic is found to have certain complication. Moreover use of TENS in dental pain is minimal in today's context. Therefore the purpose of the study was to know TENS effects in dental pain^{4. 5}.

To study the effectiveness of TENS on dental pain.

Experimental prospective research design carried out on patients suffering from dental pain from Nazar's dental OPD's catering orthodontic treatment. Patients with dental pain (VAS 5) conservatively or surgically managed by dentist were included. Pain on VAS assessed initially followed by Continuous, TENS intervention Extra orally¹ with Frequency of 150Hz ¹& Pulse width of 400μsec for 15minutes followed by reassessment of pain on VAS on next day. Main outcome measure was pain on VAS pre and post intervention.

Mean age of subjects was 41.61±9.41 the mean pain on VAS pre test was 6.13±1.30 & post test 1.47±1.25 respectively with p<0.001. (epi info software with paired t test). Reduced VAS post test indicative of effectiveness of TENS.

Study provides the evidence base for utility of TENS even in dental practice for dental pain