Effect of the Irrigation Agitation Technique on Postoperative Pain in Teeth With Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis

Introduction Irrigation of the root canal system is a vital step in endodontic treatment aimed at disinfecting the canal. The efficacy of irrigation can be improved by various irrigation agitation methods. One such novel method of interest is the manual dynamic agitation (MDA) technique. However, the effect of MDA on postoperative pain as compared to needle irrigation (NI) with sodium hypochlorite has been scarcely explored. This study aimed to compare the effects of NI and MDA techniques on postoperative pain in teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. Materials and methods This quasi-experimental study was conducted at the Department of Operative and Paediatric Dentistry, Fauji Foundation Dental Hospital, over four months after gaining ethical approval. One hundred and sixty-eight participants diagnosed with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis were enrolled in the study through the purposive sampling technique. The participants were divided into two groups based on the irrigation technique used: Group A (NI) and Group B (MDA). Postoperative pain was recorded after six hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, and seven days using the 0-100mm visual analog scale (VAS). The VAS scores were compared using an independent sample t-test. Results Out of 168 participants, 48.2% were in Group A and 51.2% in Group B. The study found that VAS pain scores for Group B (MDA) were significantly lower at six hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, and seven days as compared to Group A (NI), with a p-value less than 0.001. Conclusion This study shows that the MDA technique leads to decreased postoperative pain both immediately after endodontic treatment and a week later as compared to the NI technique. Hence, the use of MDA can aid in controlling postendodontic pain and, therefore, ensure smoother recovery and increased patient satisfaction.