Effects of using Stiper^® for cervical pain treatment in dentistry students: pilot trial

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Pain in the cervical region is a major cause of absenteeism, and one of the professions most susceptible to this risk is dental surgeons. The pain usually begins during the period of academic training, and ergonomic and postural factors add up to the emotional ones. The Stiper® silicon oxide tablets are painless, non-invasive and quickly applied, offering prolonged stimulation. This study aimed to verify the possible effects of using Stiper® in cases of nonspecific neck pain in students in their dental clinical practices training in a Dentistry course in Southern Brazil.

METHODS:

A pilot clinical trial of a quantitative nature, in a before-and-after setting, almost experimental. The sample consisted of nine dentistry students to whom Stiper® was applied at the acupuncture points Jianjing, Tianliao, Jianyu, and Dazhui, for three consecutive weeks, with a 7-day interval between sessions. The data was collected through a sociodemographic questionnaire, the visual analog scale of pain, before and after the interventions, and the completion of a form. The statistical analysis used the Shapiro Wilk normality test and the Student’s t-test.

RESULTS:

The Stiper® application provided a significant pain reduction (p<0.05) in the cervical region.

CONCLUSION:

The use of Stiper® was effective in reducing the neck pain reported by dentistry students.

Keywords:
Dentistry students; Neck pain; Occupational health; Occupational risks