Effects of conditioning vibratory stimulation on pain threshold of the human tooth

The effect of mechanical vibratory stimulation on the human tooth pain threshold has been studied in 4 healthy naïve subjects. Vibration at 10 and 100 Hz was applied to a maxillary incisor and the electrical pain threshold was measured in an adjacent tooth. During the conditioning stimulation the pain threshold increased 1.2-1.8 times the unconditioned values. The present study indicates that mechanical vibratory stimulation applied to human teeth elevates the pain threshold in adjacent teeth.