Pain and Placebo Analgesia. Does Extended Information About Dental Procedures Reduce Pain Induced by Dental Treatment?

Pain and Placebo Analgesia. A Double Blinded, Randomized, Clinical Study About the Impact of Information About Anesthesia, and the Experience of Pain and Stress During Dental Treatment.

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02160028

Enrollment

Registered

2014-06-10

Start date

2014-08-31

Completion date

2015-01-31

Last updated

2017-02-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Anxiety, Odontophobia

Keywords

Information, Pain, Stress, Fear, Placebo analgesia

Brief summary

Information about the effectiveness of treatment has been found to reduce pain, termed placebo analgesia. In this study it will be investigated whether this finding translates to the dental clinic. It will be investigated whether information that suggested that minimal pain will be experienced during filling therapy, can reduce the pain associated with that procedure compared to a group that receives standard information. All patients will receive the same amount of anesthesia and similar procedures during filling therapy. It is predicted that extended information should reduce pain, and that the reduction in pain should be associated with a reduction in stress.

Interventions

OTHERanesthetics and extended information before dental treatment

The extended information is a comprehensive explanation about what to expect of the treatment and the anesthetic method, phrased in positive words and opening up for questions after information is given.

OTHERanesthetics and standard information before dental treatment

The standard information is short and concise, telling in neutral words what to expect.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

DOUBLE (Subject, Caregiver)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Patients to be treated for dental caries * Patients should be able to read and communicate in Norwegian

Exclusion criteria

* Patients with life threatening diseases * Patients taking pain killers for other reasons on the day of treatment

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Reduction of pain	1 hour	Pain intensity and pain discomfort will be measured by a VAS (Visual Analog Scale). The patients will report their experience of these factors verbally, four times during the treatment session.

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Reduction of stress	One hour	Stress is also measured using the VAS, i.e. using the same method as for pain. Stress or sympathetic activation is measured by using scin conductance on fingers (V-Amp (Brain Products, Munich, Germany).

Countries

Norway

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026