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. 2016:2016:4372617.
doi: 10.1155/2016/4372617. Epub 2016 Apr 26.

Pain Measurement through Temperature Changes in Children Undergoing Dental Extractions

Eleazar S Kolosovas-Machuca  1 , Mario A Martínez-Jiménez  2 , José L Ramírez-GarcíaLuna  2 , Francisco J González  1 , Amaury J Pozos-Guillen  3 , Nadia P Campos-Lara  3 , Mauricio Pierdant-Perez  2
Affiliations

Pain Measurement through Temperature Changes in Children Undergoing Dental Extractions

Eleazar S Kolosovas-Machuca et al. Pain Res Manag. 2016.

Abstract

Background and Objective. Pain evaluation in children can be a difficult task, since it possesses sensory and affective components that are often hard to discriminate. Infrared thermography has previously been used as a diagnostic tool for pain detection in animals; therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the presence of temperature changes during dental extractions and to evaluate its correlation with heart rate changes as markers of pain and discomfort. Methods. Thermographic changes in the lacrimal caruncle and heart rate measurements were recorded in healthy children scheduled for dental extraction before and during the procedure and compared. Afterwards, correlation between temperature and heart rate was assessed. Results. We found significant differences in temperature and heart rate before the procedure and during the dental extraction (mean difference 4.07°C, p < 0.001, and 18.11 beats per minute, p < 0.001) and no evidence of correlation between both measurements. Conclusion. Thermographic changes in the lacrimal caruncle can be detected in patients who undergo dental extractions. These changes appear to be stable throughout time and to possess very little intersubject variation, thus making them a candidate for a surrogate marker of pain and discomfort. Future studies should be performed to confirm this claim.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Heart rate and thermographic measurements. Heart rate (a) and thermographic measurements (b) were taken at 1-minute intervals before starting the procedure (measurement 1), during the application of the anesthesia (measurements 2 to 5), during the tooth extraction (measurements 6 to 8), and after the extraction (measurement 9). Bars indicate 95% confidence intervals.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Infrared thermographic scan. A thermographic scan of children's face before (a) and during (b) the procedure is shown. Both medial canthi are easily observed as “hot” spots in the first panel, and an area of skin response is evident during the extraction. Measurements for the present study were taken ipsilateral to the side of the tooth extraction.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Correlation between temperature and heart rate. The scatterplot shows the relation between temperature and heart rate for all measurements. We found no correlation between them (p = 0.46).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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