Evaluation of postoperative pain after endodontic treatment with foraminal enlargement and obturation using two auxiliary chemical protocols

• Main Authors: Marcelle Louise Sposito Bourreau, Adriana de Jesus Soares, Francisco José de Souza-Filho
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Estadual Paulista
• Series: Revista de Odontologia da UNESP
• Subjects: Root canal therapy; chlorhexidine; sodium hypochlorite; pain, postoperative
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1807-25772015000300157&lng=en&tlng=en

Aim This prospective randomized clinical study examined the influence of two different auxiliary chemical substances on postoperative pain in 301 single-visit endodontic treatments, with enlargement of the apical foramen and extrusion of cement into the periapical region. Material and method The two auxiliary chemicals used were 2% chlorhexidine (2% CHX gel; n = 145) and 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (5.25% NaOCl; n = 156). The incidence of postoperative pain and discomfort was assessed at 24 hours and expressed as percentages. The Fisher exact test and the Chi-square test were used to compare variation in postoperative pain. The variables analyzed were previous pain, pulp status, age, and number of root canals. Result In teeth with previous pain instrumented with 2% CHX gel, the incidence of postoperative pain was 22.22% (6/27) versus 11.11% (3/22) in teeth instrumented with 5.25% NaOCl. In teeth without previous pain instrumented with 2% CHX gel, the incidence of postoperative pain was 8.5% (6/118) versus 2.33% (3/129) in teeth instrumented with 5.25% NaOCl, with no statistically significant difference between the groups. Results showed that previous pain had a significant influence on postoperative status (p < 0.001). After 24 hours postoperatively, 93.7% (282/301) of the teeth had no pain and 6.3% (19/301) had some level of pain, and used one or two doses of medication. Conclusion Based on the results, it can be concluded that the auxiliary chemical substances had no influence on postoperative pain.