Relationship between the Severity of Tooth Crowding and Pain Perception at the Beginning of Fixed Orthodontic Treatment in a Population of Iranian Patients

Introduction: Due to various reasons, pain during orthodontic treatment is an unpleasant experience which might lead to treatment discontinuing. This study evaluated the relationship between the severity of tooth crowding with the pain intensity at the beginning of orthodontic treatment in the dental school of Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran. Materials and methods: In the present cross-sectional/analytical study, the severity of crowding was categorized into mild, moderate and severe. The questionnaires were distributed among the subjects at 1-, 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-, 72- and 96-hours postoperative intervals, and data were analyzed with SPSS 24. Results: sixty subjects including 23 males and 37 females were evaluated. Thirty subjects were >21 and 30 were <21 years of age. The mean score of pain at 1-hour interval was reported to be 1.35, which increased significantly during the first 12 hours (3.5). The intensity of pain began to decrease significantly after the third day (P<0.05). Females and subjects <21 years of age higher pain intensity were reported. Also, pain was more severe in subjects with severe crowding compared to those with moderate and severe crowding, with no significant differences (P>0.05). Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that pain perception at young ages was more severe than that at older ages. Pain during orthodontic treatment reaches a maximum after 12 hours, remains constant for some hours and decreases from the third day on, Although the pain severity was not significantly different in various degrees of crowding.