AIM:

This longitudinal, prospective study (i) investigated the prevalence of postpreparation pain during root canal treatment and (ii) evaluated the influence of factors affecting the pain experience.

METHODOLOGY:

Twenty practitioners, comprising general dental practitioners, MSc graduates and endodontists, participated in this study. The patient sample (n=272) was derived from consecutive patients attending the practitioners' surgeries for a two-visit root canal treatment on a single tooth. Demographic, medical history, preoperative and intraoperative data as well as pain experience on days 1 and 2 after root canal preparation were recorded. Intensity of pain experienced was recorded on a visual analogue scale (VAS) of 0-5. The data were analysed using logistic regression models.

RESULTS:

The prevalence of postpreparation pain within 48 h after treatment was 64.7% (n=176), but less than 10% of patients experienced severe pain (VAS 4 or 5) on either day 1 or day 2. The presence of preoperative pain (OR=2.841, P<0.001), tooth type (OR=2.008, P=0.009), systemic steroid therapy for other medical reasons (OR=0.181, P=0.023) and preoperative swelling (OR=2.433, P=0.040) were the only factors to significantly influence postpreparation pain experience.

CONCLUSIONS:

The prevalence of postpreparation pain was high, and the important prognostic determinants were presence of preoperative pain, tooth type, systemic steroid therapy and preoperative swelling.