The objectives of this study is to evaluate the suitability of full cup test (FCT), numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), and visual analogue scale (VAS) to assess pain after surgical removal of lower third molar and to identify which of these three pain scales is the easiest to use. A total of 50 patients, age between 18 to 30 years who underwent minor oral surgery for removal of impacted third molar were sampled in Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya. The patients were provided with forms containing three pain scales and they were required to mark each pain scales – FCT, NPRS and VAS daily for three consecutive post-operative days. The forms were collected a week later when patients came back for review. The validity between NPRS with VAS, FCT with NPRS and FCT with VAS were tested using Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Results showed that the correlation coefficient values for each pair were very high and significant. The findings when comparing Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 and the combination for those three days showed no significant differences. No evidences indicated that the findings for Day 1 were more superior in comparison with other days. In conclusion, FCT was as valid as NPRS and VAS. The pain scale which was claimed to be the easiest to use by patients was NPRS, followed by FCT and VAS. However, further studies are needed to investigate the reliability and sensitivity of FCT.

Third molar surgery, a common dental procedure in Dental Faculty University Malaya, is known topose many possible complications, one of which is temporomandibular disorder (TMD); a chronic painconcerning the joint apparatus, masticatory musculature and the associated muscle of head and neckregion. This research aims (i) to examine the signs and symptoms of TMD following third molar surgery(ii) to study the surgical components of third molar surgery that contribute to the development of TMD(iii) to compare incidence of TMD between operative and non-operative group six months after thirdmolar surgery. A descriptive longitudinal cohort study was conducted by recruiting twenty-two patients assubjects of an operative group, and twenty patients as subjects of a non-operative group. The operativegroup were examined at baseline, one week, one month, three months and six months after surgery. Eachpatient underwent a series of Diagnostic Criteria of TMD DC/TMD examination and history questionnaire.In the operative group, we found (i) increased incidence of trismus (92%), myofascial pain (69%) andclicking (77%) of the patient group at one week review (ii) two new incidences of signs and symptoms ofTMD at final review (iii) no significant relationship between operator qualification to development of TMD(iv) no association between degree of impaction to development of TMD (v) no relationship betweenduration of procedures to development of TMD (vi) there is a significant difference in signs and symptomsof TMD between operative group and control group (p<0.005).