"Study of pain and swelling after oral mucosal biopsy"

We studied the incidence and severity of pain and swelling during the 7 days after biopsy of the oral mucosa. A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess postoperative pain and swelling in 84 patients with lesions that were amenable to histopathological study, in whom the oral mucosa was biopsied under local anaesthesia, after informed consent was obtained. The data were analysed using a non-parametric ranking test. Maximum pain intensity was recorded after two hours, while swelling peaked between 6-48 hours after biopsy. Pain after two hours was greater among women than men (median 2.0 (0-8.5) compared with 0.4 (0-8.0), p=0.010) and in lesions of the floor of the mouth (2.4 (0-4.3)), but the latter was not significant. Swelling between 6 and 48 hours after biopsy was also more in women than men (p=0.002), and in lesions of the lip (4.2 (0-10)), p<0.001 compared with cheek, p=0.002 compared with gums and p=0.001 compared with palate. We recorded maximum pain and swelling after biopsy of the oral mucosa during the first 48 hours, after which it gradually reduced.