Study, 2017
Does menstrual cycle phase affect how much pain women feel when orthodontic treatment starts?
Yes. Women in the follicular phase experienced less pain after the initial archwire was placed compared to women in the luteal phase.
What they did
Researchers divided 76 women with regular menstrual cycles into two groups by treatment timing: 37 in the follicular phase and 39 in the luteal phase. They collected data on age, anxiety, and oral health. Women rated their pain on days 1, 2, and 3 after initial archwire placement. Researchers analyzed whether menstrual phase and other factors predicted pain levels.
What they found
Pain levels were significantly affected by both menstrual phase and the day measured. Women in the follicular phase had less orthodontic pain than women in the luteal phase. In addition to menstrual phase, oral health status, education level, and anxiety all predicted pain levels independently.
What it means for you
Women may experience less pain from orthodontic treatment if the procedure is timed for the follicular phase. The researchers suggest women schedule initial orthodontic treatment during the follicular phase. This is a real-world medical study but specific to orthodontic pain and doesn't tell us about general pain sensitivity or other types of pain.
37
Women in follicular phase group
39
Women in luteal phase group
1, 2, 3
Days pain was measured after treatment
About the study
- Original title
- The effects of menstrual phase on orthodontic pain following initial archwire engagement
- Authors
- Long H, Gao M, Zhu Y et al.
- Journal
- Oral diseases
- Year
- 2017
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- Timing of initial orthodontic archwire placement by menstrual cycle phase
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/odi.12612
Topics
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