An investigation into the initial discomfort caused by placement of an archwire

Thirty patients completed a discomfort index card for the first 16 days following placement of a fixed appliance. This recorded a score for the degree of discomfort and the analgesic requirement on a sessional basis. It was found that a number of patients suffered severe discomfort over the first few days, 11 scoring at least one severe discomfort session and 12 a moderate discomfort session. The majority of recording occurred over the first 8 days, although the most severe scores were mostly within the first 3 days. Those scoring severe discomfort sessions usually had the worst pain at night, and this correlated well with when analgesics were most required. Those patients scoring at most mild discomfort (5) had this discomfort evenly distributed throughout the day. There was a statistically significant difference in the discomfort experience of adolescents under 16 years of age and adults over 16 years of age.