Vibrating pen could end painful trips to the dentist

A PEN that vibrates could reduce pain caused by dental treatment.

The pen is placed near where the painkilling dental jab is given, and works by drowning out, or acting as a distraction to, the sensation of the needle going in.

Following a trial at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, in the U.S., 60 people reported that they experienced less pain, unpleasantness and difficulty enduring the injection when the device — the DentalVibe Injection Comfort System — was used, according to a report in the Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry.