Severe Pain after Endodontic Surgery: An Analysis of Incidence and Risk Factors

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of postoperative pain after endodontic microsurgery and to identify potential predictors for severe pain.

One hundred seventy-three patients who underwent endodontic microsurgery at a private practice were included in the study. The patients were asked to fill out a questionnaire to assess their postoperative pain levels for 5 days after surgery. The questionnaires were analyzed to record the changes in pain levels over time. The presence and size of preoperative lesions and bone thickness were determined on preoperative cone-beam computed tomographic scans. Statistical analyses were performed to identify predictors for developing severe pain after surgery. A binary logistic regression model was established to predict the occurrence of severe pain.

Severe pain was most prevalent on day 1 (17.3%) and gradually decreased until a small increase on day 5. The average pain level also peaked on day 1 postoperatively and gradually decreased afterward. No significant difference was observed between patients who reported severe pain and those who did not report severe pain regarding tooth position (anterior vs posterior), lesion size, and presence of fenestration. However, sex, age, and bone thickness were all significant predictors of severe postoperative pain, with odds ratios of 2.8, 0.96, and 1.41, respectively.

Severe pain was reported only in a small number of patients after endodontic microsurgery. Younger patients, females, and patients with thicker bone covering the apex are significantly more likely to develop severe pain.