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Summary
Thermotherapy is the use of thermal resources for therapeutic purposes. Currently, several disorders have been
benefited by the use of heat as a therapeutic resource. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of
heat transfer in the face by stimulating with moist and dry heat through the analysis of the variables time and
temperature. Methods: Thermal stimulus, heated to 42C, was applied on the face of three women whose ages
were 24, 25 and 28 years old. For the application of dry heat was use an electrical heating pad and to moist heat
a moist towel was interposed between the heating pad and the subjects face. Two thermocouples were attached
on the intraoral and extraoral surface, being recorded temperature at one minute intervals. We used the
Wilcoxon non-parametric test considering p<0.05. Results: Thermotherapy application elevated intraoral
temperature progressively, stabilizing at around 38 C from the 11th minute of therapy, for both modalities of heat
application. Extraoral surface temperature had a fast elevation and fluctuated during the whole measurement
period. There was no statistically significant difference between the time periods and temperatures values
reached in the two types of thermotherapy. Conclusion: Time and temperature variables were similar when
comparing the application of dry heat and moist on the face. It is suggested that the choice of modality of
thermotherapy is performed taking into consideration factors such as patient comfort and working conditions in
order to reduce the time and better patient compliance to treatment.