Post-operative pain and use of analgesic agents following various dental procedures

To evaluate the incidence and duration of post-operative pain and the use of analgesic agents in adults with regard to gender, type of injection, dental procedure performed, and tooth history.

Frequency and duration of post-operative pain and use of analgesic agents were examined in 255 patients, aged 18-42 years, who received routine dental treatment, including amalgam and composite restorations, root canal treatment (instrumentation), root canal filling (obturation), posts, and extractions. Teeth were anesthetized by either local infiltration (for maxillary teeth) or inferior alveolar nerve block (for mandibular teeth). Information regarding post-operative pain and use of analgesic agents was obtained though a phone call, 24 hours after treatment.

The overall incidence of post-operative pain was 40.4% (103 patients) of whom 36.9% (38 patients) reported a low level of pain. Pain-relieving medication was used by 32% of the patients who reported post-operative pain (12.9% of the population). Incidence and severity of post-operative pain were significantly correlated with specific dental treatment: the highest after root canal filling (52.8%, 21% reported a low level of pain) and lowest after restorations (36.1%, 42.4% reported a low level of pain). Post-operative pain was reported more often by females (52.2%) than males (33.7%) (P= 0.012). Incidence of post-operative pain was not correlated with depth and extension of the restoration performed. However, the severity of post-operative pain as indicated by analgesic usage was more frequent following deep restorations (over 3 mm).