Postoperative pain after ultrasonically and laser‐activated irrigation during root canal treatment: a randomized clinical trial

• Published in: International endodontic journal 2021-07, Vol.54 (7), p.1037-1050
• Main Authors: Liapis, D., De Bruyne, M. A. A., De Moor, R. J. G., Meire, M. A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: analgesic intake; Analgesics; Asymptomatic; Clinical trials; Dentistry; Endodontics; erbium laser; irrigation; Lasers; laser‐activated irrigation; Lavage; Pain; Patients; PIPS; postoperative pain; Postoperative period; Root canals; Sodium hypochlorite; ultrasonic activated irrigation
• ISSN: 0143-2885; 1365-2591
• DOI: 10.1111/iej.13500

Aim To compare the intensity of postoperative pain after primary root canal treatment of asymptomatic teeth when using ultrasonically (UAI) or laser‐activated irrigation (LAI). Methodology In this superiority randomized clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03981237) with parallel design, fifty‐six patients with an asymptomatic tooth in need of primary root canal treatment were enrolled. After chemo‐mechanical canal preparation using rotary instruments and NaOCl irrigation, teeth were randomly assigned to two groups and patients were blinded to the final irrigation protocol. In the UAI group (n = 28), 60s activation with an Irrisafe tip was done per canal. In the LAI group (n = 28), NaOCl was activated with a pulsed Er:YAG (2940 nm) laser, equipped with a conical tip, with settings of 50 µs, 20 mJ at 15 Hz for 60 s. Patients recorded their pain intensity 6, 24, 48 and 72 h after treatment on a 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS), as well as their analgesic consumption. Pain levels and incidence were compared across groups using the Mann–Whitney U‐test and chi‐square test. Results Overall, mean postoperative pain intensity was low, with the majority of patients having no or minimal pain 24 h postoperatively. At 6 h postoperatively, pain intensity and incidence were significantly higher in the UAI group compared to the LAI group (P