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Science 23 March 1979:
Vol. 203. no. 4386, pp. 1261 - 1263
DOI: 10.1126/science.424753
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Articles

Science, Vol 203, Issue 4386, 1261-1263
Copyright © 1979 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Narcotic analgesia: fentanyl reduces the intensity but not the unpleasantness of painful tooth pulp sensations

RH Gracely, R Dubner, and PA McGrath

Forty subjects rated the magnitude of painful electrical stimulation of tooth pulp before and after the intravenous administration of either fentanyl, a short-acting narcotic, or a saline placebo. The responses were choices of verbal descriptors from randomized lists of either sensory intensity (that is, weak, mild, intense) or unpleasantness (annoying, unpleasant, distressing) descriptors. The fentanyl significantly reduced the sensory intensity without reducing the unpleasantness of the tooth pulp stimuli, indicating that the mechanisms of narcotic analgesia may include a significant attenuation in pain sensation in addition to effects on pain reaction. These results stress the importance of using multiple measures of pain.


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