Effects of Maintaining Apical Patency on Post-Operative Pain in Molars with Necrotic Pulp and Apical Periodontitis

Abstract

Objective: To determine the effect of maintaining apical patency on post-operative pain in molars with necrotic pulp and apical periodontitis. Place of Study: This RCT was conducted in dental section of Faisalabad Medical University, Faisalabad. Period: 14 months from Setember-2016 to November-2017. Methods: Patients having molar teeth with necrotic pulp along with apical periodontitis were included for analysis. We included 200 teeth in this study. In group one (n=100), AP was maintained while in group two (n=100) AP was not maintained. Post-op pain was noted at 12 hours, 24 hours, 2nd day to 7th day after surgery daily. VAS pain score with value from 0 to 10 was used to calculate pain score. Data analysis was done using SPSS software (v21). After checking normality of data using Shapiro–Wilk test, independent sample t-test was used to determine significant difference in mean pain scores between the groups. Results: There was female sex predominance in both groups; 57% in AP group and 59% in non-AP group. Regarding type of teeth mandibular molar were in higher number; 66% in AP group and 67% in non-AP group. There was significant difference in VAS pain scores upto 4th day after surgery after that pain score was no statistically different between the AP and non-AP group. Conclusion: Maintaining apical patency is associated with significantly less post-operative pain severity score in molars with necrotic pulp and apical periodontitis.