JOURNAL OF UPDATES IN PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY - Volume 2 Issue 2, Volume 2, Issue 2, July-December 2023

Pages: 30-36

Date of Publication: 31-Jan-2023

Print Article   Download XML  Download PDF

Reliability, validity and sex differencesin a quantitative gag reflex measurement method in children aged 5 – 12 years

Author: Niharika Goyal, Dinesh Rao, Sunil Panwar, Remi RV

Category: Pediatric Dentistry

Abstract:

Background: The gag reflex is a normal, protective, physiological mechanism that occurs to prevent foreign objects and noxious material from entering the pharynx, larynx, and trachea. A proportion of the population has a profound and exaggerated reflex that can cause acute limitation of a patient’s ability to accept dental treatment and a clinician’s ability to provide it.

Aim: To evaluate the reliability, validity, and sex differences in a quantitative gag reflex measurement method in children, aged between 5 to 12 years.

Methods: 21 volunteers (10 female, 11 male) were included in the study. An examiner inserted a standard saliva ejector slowly down the participant’s throat to determine the maximum tolerance of the gag reflex; the insertion depth was used as an index of the gag reflex. The reflex was measured by one examiner during two sessions (S1 and S3) and by a second examiner during one session (S2) under the same conditions. Heart rate (HR) was recorded during each session to test the method's validity. Data were analysed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), paired t-test, and two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance.

Results: The ICC of the gag reflex measurements was 0.92 between S1 and S2 and 0.93 between S1 and S3. The HR increased significantly after the maximum tolerance of the reflex in S1, S2, and S3.

Conclusion: The gag reflex assessment technique demonstrated remarkable inter- and intraexaminer reliability that remained unbiased based on gender, along with a notable autonomic response that is typical for this response.

Keywords: Gag reflex, dental impression technique, heart rate, sex differences, autonomic response

DOI: 10.54276/JUPD.2023.2205

DOI URL: http://doi.org/10.54276/JUPD.2023.2205