Effect of chewing gum on orthodontic pain, painkiller uptake and appliance breakages

INTERVENTION: Female participants are randomly allocated into either chewing gum group or control group using random table generation (WebPower Statistical power analysis online) and sealed envelope. Subjects in the chewing gum group are instructed to chew sugar‐free gum (Wrigley's Extra, Malaysia) for 5 minutes followed by marking the pain level on the visual analogue scale (VAS) to assess pain at baseline (before placement of stainless steel archwires), immediately after placement (0 hour), at 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 and 72 hours after archwire placement. No chewing gum will be given to the control group. CONDITION: Reducing orthodontic pain in patients with stainless steel archwire during orthodontic treatment ; Oral Health PRIMARY OUTCOME: Self‐reported orthodontic pain using a visual analogue scale (VAS) at baseline (before placement of stainless steel archwires), immediately after placement (0 hour), at 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 and 72 hours after archwire placement. SECONDARY OUTCOME: 1. Analgesic uptake measured using self‐reported questionnaire (frequency, type, dosage and timing of analgesics taken) during the 72‐hour study period.; 2. Appliances breakages (brackets/tubes/bands) measured using self‐reported questionnaire during the 72‐hour study period. INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Healthy female aged 20‐40 years old 2. Patients fitted with both upper and lower 0.019” X0.025” rectangular stainless steel archwires on upper and lower pre‐adjusted edgewise fixed orthodontic appliances treatment 3. Non‐smoker 4. Patients with no craniofacial anomalies 5. No pain‐related pathology or disease 6. Not receiving any form of analgesics 7. No oral surgery in the previous 4 weeks