Influence of vehicle for calcium hydroxide on postoperative pain: a scoping review

This review aims to identify the influence of the vehicle and its concentration used to carry calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂) medicament on postoperative pain. The protocol for this review was registered in the open science framework (Registration DOI-10.17605/OSF.IO/4Y8A9) and followed the guidelines provided by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Reporting was based on the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Literature screening and searches were performed on PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and EBSCO hosts. Furthermore, additional records were manually analyzed using various sources. The selected studies were published in English and included the use of any vehicle adjunct to Ca(OH)₂ to evaluate postoperative pain using qualitative and quantitative pain assessment tools. Descriptive analysis was conducted to review the study design, vehicle elements, and their effects. A preliminary search yielded 7584 studies, of which 10 were included. According to the data collected, the most commonly used Ca(OH)₂ vehicles were chlorhexidine (CHX), normal saline, and camphorated paramonochlorophenol/glycerine (CPMC/glycerine), which had a significant effect on postoperative pain. Among the included studies, six evaluated the effect of CHX as a vehicle. It was observed that a higher concentration of the vehicle (2%) showed a favorable response in reducing postoperative pain. A majority of studies have validated a positive consequence of using a vehicle on postoperative pain. Although higher vehicle concentrations were found to alter postoperative pain levels, the data were insufficient to draw a firm conclusion. Our scoping review indicates that further clinical studies should focus on using different vehicles at various concentrations and application times to check for feasible and safe exposure in addition to providing pain relief.