Visual Analog Scale Wong-Baker´s Faces Pain Rating Scale and Pain in Dentistry

Abstract

Pain is a sensation that one experiences at some point in their lives. As one grows up, one becomes accustomed to it and begins to differentiate it in terms of severity from other sensations such as discomfort. It is at an early age when for the first time, pain is a novel sensation. For health professionals it is necessary to know more about what patients feel to have a frame of reference. This leads them to work on methods, techniques and scales to obtain information. The Wong- Baker´s Faces Rating Scale is one of these measurement scales. It is a visual analog scale (VAS), which due to its simple construction and fact it is easy to understand and manipulate, is one of the most commonly used in pediatric patients. It is important to point out that although The Wong- Baker´s Faces Rating Scale is not completely objective and has its limitations; it is one of the best tools that we can count on in the dental field to measure pain.