Post Operative Pain During and After Root Canal Treatment in a Government Hospital Setting in Nepal

Abstract

Background: Postoperative pain is a most common symptom of endodontic patients after root canal treatments (RCTs). The aim of this study was to evaluate Postoperative pain during and after root canal treatment (RCT) among patients at a government hospital of Nepal.
Methods: Maxillary and mandibular teeth with necrotic pulp or irreversibly inflamed pulp, with or without preoperative pain, were included in this study. Subject’s age and gender, as well as pulp status and preoperative pain status, were recorded. Root canal treatment was done using a standard protocol. Visual analog scale (VAS) and facial rating scale were used to record the level of pain felt.
Results: A total of 400 patients were enrolled in the study. The VAS score for pain decreased from 6(4-8) recorded before RCT, to 0 (0-4) during and 0 (0-0) after RCT and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Similarly, in Facial rating scale, the scores decreased significantly from 2(2-5) before RCT to 0(0-0) during and 0(0-0) after RCT (P<0.001). There was significant difference in facial rating scores during root canal treatment between males and females (P=0.014).
Conclusions: Postoperative pain significantly decreases after the initiation of root canal treatment. No significant difference was found in VAS score between male and female whereas significant difference was found in facial rating scores during root canal treatment between males and females. These findings of facial rating score emphasize that biological and psychosocial factors make females more susceptible to experiencing pain.
Keywords: Facial rating scale; necrotic pulp; post-operative pain; RCT; visual analog score.