Authors: Tsumugu Furuta, Ryutaro Uchikawa, Okinori Shikura, Kiyomi Kohinata, Keiichi Uchida, Mihoko Tomida
Introduction: Music therapy is widely accepted to enhance well-being, reduce pain and distract patients from unpleasant symptoms in the clinical situation. It is known that pleasant music reduces pain, whereas unpleasant ones has no effects or tends to increase pain. However, the degrees of the pain perception modulated by these music remain unknown.
Objective: The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of auditory stimulation on the pain threshold of the forearm and mandibular gingiva using four different types of sound, two music as pleasant sound and scaler sound or alarm as unpleasant sound.
Materials and Methods: Twenty-five subjects were examined the pain threshold of the forearm and the mandibular gingiva using Pain Vision PS-2011N in listening to classical music, POPs, scaler sound and alarm through headphone. The pain threshold in each sound was compared with that in the silence condition.
Results: The changing rate of the pain threshold on the forearm compared with the condition without sound (100%) were 104.8 ± 4.3% (mean ± SE) in listening to classical music, 120.9 ± 6.6% in pops, 106.5 ± 4.3% in scalar sound, 106.9 ± 6.0% in alarm. The pain threshold of the forearm in pops was significantly higher than that in non-sound, classical music and scaler sound.
The changing rate of the pain threshold on the gingiva compared with the condition without sound (100%) were 125.0 ± 12.9% in listening to classical music, 127.6 ± 9.1% in pops, 104.9 ± 6.4% in scalar sound, 102.0 ± 3.5% in alarm. The pain threshold on the gingiva while listening to music was significant higher value compared with that without sound.
Conclusion: This study suggested that listening to pops increases the pain threshold on the gingiva or skin.
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