Pain Perception During Miniplate-assisted Orthodontic Therapy

Miniplate and screw devices are widely used for fracture repair and fixation of osteotomies. Currently, these miniplate systems are being used as orthodontic treatments for skeletal anchorage. However, despite the widespread use of these treatments, patients are apprehensive when they need to undergo miniplate procedures. Recently, we assessed pain perception using the visual analog scale (VAS) score (0–100 mm) in patients who had undergone miniplate procedures. Thirty miniplates were positioned in the maxilla as skeletal anchors for orthodontic treatment. On the first day after insertion of the fixed orthodontic appliances, the mean VAS score was 36.3 mm. The mean VAS score at 24 hours after insertion of the miniplate was 58 mm. Three months after orthodontic force was applied to the miniplate, the mean VAS scores during eating and speaking gradually decreased to 20 mm and 15 mm, respectively. The mean VAS score at 24 hours after removal of the miniplate was 41.3 mm. Three months after removal of the skeletal anchors, the VAS score decreased to 5 mm. Eighty-eight percent of patients stated that they would be prepared to undergo these new and more efficient treatment modalities in the future. The miniplate system was successfully used in this study as a skeletal anchor, and the patients could endure the pain and discomfort of this orthodontic treatment.