Postoperative pain after root-end resection and filling

Objective. To evaluate the pain experience following root-end resection and filling with Mineral Trioxide Aggregate or Intermediate Restorative Material. Study design. Referred adult patients recruited using strict entry criteria were randomly allocated to receive either material. A standardized surgical technique was employed. Postoperative instructions and a pain questionnaire were given to each patient to record the severity of their pain at 3 time intervals-3-5 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours after surgery-on a standard visual analog scale (VAS). Patients were also asked to record consumption of any self-prescribed analgesics, the type, and dosage. Results. At 3-5 hours after surgery, regardless of the material used, 90% of all patients experienced some level of postoperative pain. Twenty-four hours after surgery 82% of patients experienced pain, as did 72% after 48 hours. Thirty-seven percent of patients did not take any analgesics at all. In order of popularity, the analgesics taken were ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and acetaminophen plus codeine phosphate. The VAS measurements were reduced over time in both treatment groups (P <.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of subjects taking analgesics in each treatment group. Patients who used analgesics showed higher median VAS measurements at all time periods (P <.05). Conclusions. There was no significant difference in the pain experienced by both treatment groups. The postoperative pain was of a relatively short duration, at its maximum intensity early in the postoperative period but progressively decreased with time. Even if pain relief medication was needed, nonprescription analgesics were adequate and effective.