Risk factors associated with acute dental pain in children

The purpose of this study was to relate several variables (age, sex, race, number of extractions performed, dental arch, tooth position, mobility, root length, osseous resorptive defects, soft tissue inflammation, and history of preexisting pain) to the prevalence of parental report of pain in their children between forty-eight hours before (preexisting pain) and seven hours after extraction of their primary teeth (postextraction pain). Sixty-two children, ages two to ten years, were studied. The results indicated that there was no relationship between preexisting pain and the report of postextraction pain. There was a trend for females, primary molars, and presence of osseous resorptive defects to be associated with preexisting dental pain Root length (complete root formation) and presence of adjacent soft tissue inflammation were statistically significant for preexisting pain. Chronologic age was the only variable studied that was associated with postextraction pain in these children. Although the existence of pain is difficult to assess in children, the results of this study may be useful in a clinician's decision-making process as to the need for prescribed analgesics following extraction of primary teeth.