Postoperative Pain after Use of the WaveOne Gold and XP-endo Shaper Systems: A Randomized Clinical Trial

The present study aimed to clinically compare the incidence of postoperative pain after endodontic treatment of posterior teeth using the WaveOne Gold (WOG; Dentsply Sirona, Ballaigues, Switzerland) and XP-endo Shaper (XPES; FKG Dentaire, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland) systems.

In a single-blind randomized clinical trial, 148 vital teeth with an indication for conventional endodontic therapy for prosthetic purposes were treated by 5 specialists following a preestablished protocol. All participants were unaware of the treatment they received. The teeth were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 74) according to the instrumentation system used (the WOG group and XPES group). The treatments were performed in a single session. The participants were asked to rate the intensity of postoperative pain on a visual analog scale (no pain, mild pain, moderate pain, and severe pain) after 24, 48, and 72 hours and 7 days.

The incidence of postoperative pain was higher in the XPES group after 24, 48, and 72 hours compared with those in the WOG group (P < .05). Two participants in the WOG group experienced severe postoperative pain after 24 hours. None of the participants in either group reported pain after 7 days (P > .05, Mann-Whitney test).

Postoperative pain is expected after preparation of the root canal system with the WOG and XPES systems tested, but it only persists for a short period. Although more common after the use of the XPES system, the pain was classified as mild at all time points.