Effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on neuro-sensory disturbance after orthognathic surgery: a randomized clinical trial

Background: The present study aims to determine the effect of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) on neuro-sensory disturbance after orthognathic surgery. Materials and methods: In a randomized clinical trial, the participants via split-mouth sampling were randomly divided into two intervention (n=27) and control (n=27) groups. In the intervention group, participants received TENS physiotherapy. TENS physiotherapy was performed on the day after surgery, 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after surgery, along with prescriptions for the use of painkillers. On the control group, no physical therapy was performed and the patients only used painkillers (immediately after the operation). Paresthesia was evaluated using the 2-point discrimination (TPD) test and the semi-quantitative sensory-neural disorders test called brush stroke 6 months after the surgical procedures. Self-reported sensory-neural disorders were measured and reported for each patient before and 6 months after surgery using the visual analog scale (VAS). Results: A total of 54 patients participated in this study. The mean TPD score in the TENS group and the control group 6 months after the operation were 5.76 (SD=0.73) and 6.14 (SD=0.54), respectively (P=0.003). The mean VAS score in the TENS group and the control group 6 months after the operation was 6.48 (SD=0.50) and 5.80 (SD=0.63), respectively (P=0.005). Also, 66.7 and 38.9% in the TENS and control groups, respectively, performed the brush stroke test correctly (P=0.007). Conclusion: In sum, the benefits of TENS physiotherapy can be effective in reducing complications such as pain in dental surgery treatments or orthognathic surgeries.