Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37328611›Full record

Trial reportClinical oral investigations2023

Evaluating the effect of using anti-stress balls as a distraction technique in reducing pain during inferior alveolar nerve block injection: a randomized clinical trial.

Parisa Soltani, Amirhossein Moaddabi, Mohammad Koochek Dezfuli, Soodeh Ebrahimikiyasari, Abolfazl Hosseinnataj, Sandro Rengo, Kioumars Tavakoli Tafti, Gianrico Spagnuolo

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Clinical oral investigations, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06742814 (Effects of Stress Ball Use for Patients Undergoing Local Anesthesia in Ambulatory Surgery), which is not on this map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06742814 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Effects of Stress Ball Use for Patients Undergoing Local Anesthesia in Ambulatory Surgery

TypeinterventionalSponsorNational Taiwan University HospitalRan2025 to 2025Enrolled74ConditionsAnxietyArmsstress ball
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Enhancing Patient Outcomes: Stress Ball Use as a Non-Pharmacological Intervention in Port Catheterization.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025
    Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Trial
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Parisa SoltaniDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Dental Implants Research Center, Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Amirhossein MoaddabiDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dental Research Center, School of Dentistry, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. a.moaddabi@mazums.ac.ir.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7456-8027
Mohammad Koochek DezfuliDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, School of Dentistry, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
Soodeh Ebrahimikiyasari, Sari, Iran.
Abolfazl HosseinnatajDepartment of Biostatistics, Faculty of Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
Sandro RengoDepartment of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131, Naples, Italy.
Kioumars Tavakoli TaftiDental Students' Research Committee, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Gianrico SpagnuoloDepartment of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131, Naples, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of using anti-stress balls in reducing patients' pain during injection of the inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB). MATERIALS AND

methodsIn this randomized clinical trial, 32 individuals were divided into two groups. The conventional method of anesthesia injection was performed using IANB conventional injection technique. During the injection, individuals in the anti-stress ball group were asked to use the anti-stress ball as a distraction technique. For the control group, no supersede methods were used for pain control. Finally, both groups were asked to record their pain utilizing the numerical rating scale (NRS). The participants' vital signs were monitored before and after injection. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, independent T-test, and Fisher's exact chi-square test were performed for statistical analysis (α = 0.05).

resultsSixteen females and 16 males in the age range of 40 to 20 years old participated in this study. The mean pain score in the anti-stress ball group was significantly lower (p < 0.001). In both sexes, the pain score in the anti-stress ball group was significantly lower (males p < 0.001 and females p = 0.001). In addition, in all age ranges, the pain score in the control group was higher except for the above 35 years old participants (p = 0.078). Moreover, there were no significant differences in individuals' vital signs (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Utilizing an anti-stress ball reduces patients' pain significantly during IANB in both sexes and individuals who are below 35 years without changing vital signs. CLINICAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: IRCT20220815055704N1.

Indexed as

Anesthesia, DentalNerve BlockPulpitisAdultAnesthesia, LocalAnesthetics, LocalDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleMandibular NervePainAnesthetics, LocalAnti-stress ballDistraction techniqueInferior alveolar nerve blockPain

Identifiers

PMID37328611

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.