Moistened Techniques Considered for Patientsʼ Comfort and Operatorsʼ Ease in Dental Treatment

Abstract

Aim: In dental treatment, to remove an instrument, such as dental mirror or to remove a dental cotton roll inserted in the gingivobuccal fold, often brings the patient discomfort or pain. To prevent these uncomfortable conditions, dental instruments or dental cotton rolls are moistened based on an empirical basis. However, there has been no research done evaluating whether discomfort is reduced by these techniques. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of moistened techniques on the patientsʼ discomfort and the operatorsʼ ease. Materials and Methods: Thirty eight subjects without hyposalivation were studied. Two procedures were implemented. One was that a dry or moistened dental mirror was removed after exclusion of the buccal mucosa. The other was removal of a dental cotton roll from the gingivobuccal fold after either moistening it or leaving it dry. The subjectsʼcomfort and the operatorsʼ treatment ease were evaluated on five point scales. Results: During these procedures, the subjectsʼ comfort was significantly increased by moistening of both the dental mirror and the cotton roll. The ease of performing both procedures was also significantly increased for operators in the moistened condition. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between the subjectsʼ comfort and the operatorsʼ ease. Conclusion: When using dental instruments and removing cotton rolls, moistening increases both the subjectsʼ comfort and operatorsʼ treatment ease.