Post Operative Pain During and After Root Canal Treatment in a Government Hospital Setting in Nepal

Area of Science:

• Endodontics
• Pain Management
• Public Health

Background:

• Postoperative pain is a common issue for patients undergoing root canal treatments (RCTs).
• Evaluating pain levels during and after RCT is crucial for patient care.
• This study focused on patients at a government hospital in Nepal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess postoperative pain experienced by patients during and after root canal treatment.
• To quantify pain levels using standardized scales.
• To identify potential differences in pain perception based on patient demographics.

Main Methods:

• Included patients with necrotic or irreversibly inflamed pulp, with or without preoperative pain.
• Recorded patient age, gender, pulp status, and preoperative pain.
• Utilized Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Facial Rating Scale to measure pain during and after RCT.

Main Results:

• A total of 400 patients participated.
• Statistically significant reduction in VAS pain scores from 6 (pre-RCT) to 0 (during/post-RCT).
• Significant decrease in Facial Rating Scale scores from 2 (pre-RCT) to 0 (during/post-RCT), with gender-based differences observed.

Conclusions:

• Root canal treatment leads to a significant decrease in postoperative pain.
• While VAS scores showed no gender difference, Facial Rating Scale indicated higher pain perception in females during RCT.
• Biological and psychosocial factors may contribute to increased pain susceptibility in females.