An Evaluation of Flavored Photostimulable Phosphor (PSP) Barrier in Bitewing Radiography: A Randomized Crossover...

Area of Science:

• Dental Radiology
• Patient Comfort
• Sensory Perception

Background:

• Intraoral radiography, particularly bitewing imaging, is essential for diagnosing dental conditions.
• Patient discomfort, gagging, and unpleasant sensory experiences with barrier sleeves can negatively impact the radiography procedure.
• Photostimulable phosphor (PSP) plates are widely used, necessitating effective barrier sleeve designs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if flavored PSP barrier sleeves enhance patient comfort and sensory perception during intraoral radiography compared to non-flavored sleeves.
• To assess the impact of flavored sleeves on specific sensory aspects like taste, scent, and feel.

Main Methods:

• A double-blind, randomized, crossover study involving 74 dental students.
• Participants underwent two molar bitewing placements using either flavored or non-flavored PSP barrier sleeves, with a washout period.
• Patient-reported outcomes included comfort, gagging, irritation, taste, aftertaste, scent, feel, and overall experience, analyzed using appropriate statistical tests.

Main Results:

• Flavored sleeves demonstrated significantly higher scores for chemosensory experience (p < 0.001).
• Order effects and carryover effects were observed for taste, scent, and aftertaste, indicating a persistent sensory impact.
• A majority (58.7%) of participants preferred the flavored sleeves, with preference strongly linked to the order of treatment.

Conclusions:

• Flavored PSP barrier sleeves significantly enhance the chemosensory experience and perceived acceptability of bitewing radiography.
• While the impact on procedural discomfort and gagging was limited, flavored sleeves may improve patient cooperation and overall experience.
• This represents a cost-effective method to improve patient satisfaction, especially for anxious or pediatric dental patients.