Factors related to the incidence of postoperative pain in endodontics

Abstract

Aim: to evaluate the incidence of post- operative pain after root canal instrumentation. Methodology: one hundred and fifty patients between 18 and 70 years requiring endodontic treatment were included in this study. Patients were asked to fill in a record about presence and characteristics of pain. The incidence of pain was correlated to the following aspects: pulp condition, patient age, tooth type, use of intracanal medication and presence of preoperative pain. Results: 36% of the patients presented some kind of pain. According to the duration of pain 57.41% of patients who had some kind of pain presented its resolution within 48 hours, with the use of anti-inflammatory agent. When comparing the incidence of pain to the factors patient age and intracanal medication, results showed statistical difference among the groups (p<0.01). The incidence of pain after preparation of the root canal in teeth that presented preoperative pain was higher and differed statistically from the ones that did not present pain before treatment. After root canal instrumentation, the statistical analysis (Chi squared) showed that the factors tooth location and condition of pulp have no influence upon the incidence of postoperative pain. Conclusions: factors like age, use of intracanal medication, and presence of preoperative pain can have influence on the occurrence of pain after intracanal preparation. The majority of cases of pain can be controlled by the use of anti-inflammatory agents.