{"title":"Association between psychological traits and occlusal tactile acuity of healthy individuals","authors":"Gabriella Coppola, Ambrosina Michelotti, Vittorio Simeon, Michail Koutris, Frank Lobbezoo, Rosaria Bucci","doi":"10.1111/joor.13828","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Objectives</h3>\n \n <p>Tactile acuity is a somatosensory measure of the extent to which humans can discern tactile stimuli. It is influenced by how peripheral signals are processed centrally. In the oral cavity, Occlusal Tactile Acuity (OTA) is the ability to perceive minimal thicknesses between antagonist teeth. The aim of the current study was to assess the association between psychological traits and OTA of otherwise healthy individuals.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>Sixty-three volunteers (32 males; mean age ± SD: 24.6 ± 2.7 years) participated in this study. Somatosensory amplification, anxiety, depression, physical symptoms and pain catastrophizing were scored using questionnaires, and subgroups of severity were created per variable based on cut-offs. OTA was measured using 9 aluminium foils with thickness (ranging from 8 to 72 μm) and one sham test (without foil). Each thickness was tested 10 times in random order, the participants were instructed to report whether they felt the foil between their molars and the mean percentage of correct answers was computed. A linear mixed model was used with OTA as a dependent variable and psychological domain as an independent variable.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>Significantly different OTA was observed among the anxiety subgroups (<i>p</i> = .003), supporting a decreased perception of thicknesses 24 and 32 μm (<i>p</i> = .018 and <i>p</i> < .001, respectively) in participants with moderate/severe anxiety compared to those with no/mild anxiety. Significantly different OTA was also observed among the pain catastrophizing subgroups (<i>p</i> = .008), showing decreased perception of thicknesses 32 and 40 μm (<i>p</i> < .001 and <i>p</i> = .007, respectively) in severe catastrophizing levels, compared to no/mild catastrophizing levels. No significant differences were observed for the other variables.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusions</h3>\n \n <p>Healthy adults with increased anxiety or pain catastrophizing levels show decreased interdental acuity as compared to participants with minor or no psychological impairment.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":16605,"journal":{"name":"Journal of oral rehabilitation","volume":"51 11","pages":"2452-2459"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/joor.13828","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of oral rehabilitation","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joor.13828","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives
Tactile acuity is a somatosensory measure of the extent to which humans can discern tactile stimuli. It is influenced by how peripheral signals are processed centrally. In the oral cavity, Occlusal Tactile Acuity (OTA) is the ability to perceive minimal thicknesses between antagonist teeth. The aim of the current study was to assess the association between psychological traits and OTA of otherwise healthy individuals.
Methods
Sixty-three volunteers (32 males; mean age ± SD: 24.6 ± 2.7 years) participated in this study. Somatosensory amplification, anxiety, depression, physical symptoms and pain catastrophizing were scored using questionnaires, and subgroups of severity were created per variable based on cut-offs. OTA was measured using 9 aluminium foils with thickness (ranging from 8 to 72 μm) and one sham test (without foil). Each thickness was tested 10 times in random order, the participants were instructed to report whether they felt the foil between their molars and the mean percentage of correct answers was computed. A linear mixed model was used with OTA as a dependent variable and psychological domain as an independent variable.
Results
Significantly different OTA was observed among the anxiety subgroups (p = .003), supporting a decreased perception of thicknesses 24 and 32 μm (p = .018 and p < .001, respectively) in participants with moderate/severe anxiety compared to those with no/mild anxiety. Significantly different OTA was also observed among the pain catastrophizing subgroups (p = .008), showing decreased perception of thicknesses 32 and 40 μm (p < .001 and p = .007, respectively) in severe catastrophizing levels, compared to no/mild catastrophizing levels. No significant differences were observed for the other variables.
Conclusions
Healthy adults with increased anxiety or pain catastrophizing levels show decreased interdental acuity as compared to participants with minor or no psychological impairment.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Oral Rehabilitation aims to be the most prestigious journal of dental research within all aspects of oral rehabilitation and applied oral physiology. It covers all diagnostic and clinical management aspects necessary to re-establish a subjective and objective harmonious oral function.
Oral rehabilitation may become necessary as a result of developmental or acquired disturbances in the orofacial region, orofacial traumas, or a variety of dental and oral diseases (primarily dental caries and periodontal diseases) and orofacial pain conditions. As such, oral rehabilitation in the twenty-first century is a matter of skilful diagnosis and minimal, appropriate intervention, the nature of which is intimately linked to a profound knowledge of oral physiology, oral biology, and dental and oral pathology.
The scientific content of the journal therefore strives to reflect the best of evidence-based clinical dentistry. Modern clinical management should be based on solid scientific evidence gathered about diagnostic procedures and the properties and efficacy of the chosen intervention (e.g. material science, biological, toxicological, pharmacological or psychological aspects). The content of the journal also reflects documentation of the possible side-effects of rehabilitation, and includes prognostic perspectives of the treatment modalities chosen.