PAIN THRESHOLD VALUES DURING PERIODONTAL PROBING - ASSESSMENT OF MAXILLARY INCISOR AND MOLAR SITES

PROBING PAIN THRESHOLD (PPT) assessments were conducted in the facial and oral sulci of maxillary central incisors and first molars of 10 pe riodontally healthy adults. All subjects were systemically healthy, fr ee of pain, and reported no current medication usage. A computer-linke d electronic probe, modified to deliver steadily increasing forces up to 200 grams, was used to collect the data. The system contained a sub ject operated ''off-switch'' which, upon activation, signaled the comp uter to record the subject's PPT. Assessments of each subject's PPTs w ere conducted on 3 separate occasions at 7-day intervals. Results indi cated that the facial sulci of the incisors were the most pain sensiti ve. They displayed a mean PPT of 50.9 +/- 26.6 grams. The oral sulci o f the incisors exhibited a mean PPT of 76.5 +/- 45.2 grams. Facial and oral sulci of the molars evidenced mean PPT values of 102.6 +/- 52.1 grams and 113.5 +/- 51.3 grams, respectively. These data suggest that sulci associated with incisor teeth are nearly twice as pain sensitive as sulci associated with molar teeth. In addition, facial sulci are s ignificantly more pain sensitive than oral sulci. Data did not indicat e a visit effect nor a side-of-mouth effect on PPT values.