IADR Abstract Archives

Dental Pulp Pain in Young and Postmenopausal Women

Objective: There are data concerning relationship between the level of estrogen and chronic orofacial pain as TMD pain. Since dental pulp pain was one of the most common acute and severe orofacial pain we compared pulp pain provoked by electrical and thermal (cold) stimuli in young women during the menstrual (low) and luteal (high estrogen level) phases of the menstrual cycle with postmenopausal women (chronic deficiency of estrogen).

Method: Healthy women, 20 regularly menstruating and 20 postmenopausal were selected from patients seen at University of East Sarajevo, Faculty of Medicine. Electrical (electrical pulp tester) and cold (refrigerant spray) stimuli were performed on mandibular incisors, twice in regularly menstruating (menstrual and luteal phases) and once in postmenopausal women. Results were expressed as pain threshold values for electrical pulp stimulation (0-80 units) and as pain intensity scores (visual numeric scale, from 0 to 10) for cold stimulation.

Result: In young women higher pain electrical threshold (not significantly) and pain sensitivity score (significantly) were observed in luteal and menstrual phase, respectively. In postmenopausal women electrical pain threshold was significantly higher while pain intensity score was significantly lower than in young women, regardless of the menstrual phase and painful stimuli.

Conclusion: Higher responsiveness to acute dental pulp pain was related with short-term decreased estrogen level (young women, menstrual phase), while lower responsiveness was obtained in short-term increased estrogen level (young women, luteal phase) and long-term decreased estrogen level (postmenopausal women), regardless of type of stimuli.

Pan European Region Meeting
2014 Pan European Region Meeting (Dubrovnik, Croatia)
Dubrovnik, Croatia
2014
175
Scientific Groups
  • Krunic, Jelena  ( Faculty of Medicine, University of East Sarajevo, Foca, , Bosnia and Herzegovina )
  • Nogo Zivanovic, Dajana  ( Faculty of Medicine, University of East Sarajevo, Foca, , Bosnia and Herzegovina )
  • Stojanovic, Nikola  ( Faculty of Medicine, University of East Sarajevo, Foca, , Bosnia and Herzegovina )
  • Cicmil, Smiljka  ( Faculty of Medicine, University of East Sarajevo, Foca, , Bosnia and Herzegovina )
  • Stojic, Dragica  ( School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, N/A, Serbia )
    • Poster Session
    Pulp Biology and Regeneration II
    09/11/2014