Mint-flavored PSP sleeves improved chemosensory experience for dental students during bitewing radiography

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether flavoured PSP barrier sleeves enhance patient comfort and sensory perception during intraoral radiography compared to non-flavoured sleeves. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a double-blind, randomized, crossover study, 74 dental students underwent two molar bitewing placements in random order, with a 15-min washout period. Participants rated overall comfort, gagging, oral irritation, taste, aftertaste, scent, feel, and overall procedure experience. Ordinal outcomes used the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and binary outcomes used McNemar's test. Sequence and carryover effects were examined with the Mann-Whitney U test. Significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Flavored sleeves scored higher for chemosensory experience (p < 0.001; Cohen's r > 0.5). Order effects were noted for overall comfort, taste, aftertaste, and scent (p < 0.001; moderate to large effect size). The carryover effect persisted for taste, scent, and aftertaste (p < 0.01). Preference for flavored sleeve was 58.7% and strongly linked to treatment order (χ = 11.70, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Flavored PSP barrier sleeves enhance chemosensory experience and perceived acceptability of bitewing radiography, with a limited impact on procedural discomfort and gagging. Their use may improve patient cooperation and experience in clinical settings. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Bitewing radiography is commonly used, but it can be uncomfortable due to the film positioning, patient cooperation, and the taste and feel of the barrier sleeves used with photostimulable phosphor plates. In this randomized crossover study, mint-flavored barrier sleeves improved chemosensory experience and patient acceptability. These findings present a low-cost option to enhance the intraoral radiography experience, particularly for first-time, anxious, or pediatric patients.