a clinical study of the effect of occlusal reduction on pain after endodontic instrumentation

abstract introduction: pain after endodonic therapy, is of serious concern both to the dentist and patient. the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of occlusal reduction on pain after endodontic instrumentation. methods and materials: in this matched clinical trial study, 98 patients were used. each patient had a molar tooth requiring endodontic treatment. all teeth were vital, occlusion in contact and without preoperative pain or sensitivity to percussion. after access cavity preparation, teeth were divided into 2 groups: teeth with occlusion in contact and teeth with occlusal reduction. the teeth were instrumented using passive step back technique. canals were dried and temporarily sealed. each patient was informed and given a standard questionnaire form (visual analogue scale). the patients recorded their degree of discomfort over a 48-h postoperative periods (0, 4, 8, 24, 32 and 48 h). results were collected and tabulated using student t-test. results: there were no differences in the intensity of post operative pain between two groups in each periods of the study. conclusion: occlusal reduction in vital teeth and without preoperative pain or sensitivity to percussion cannot decrease postoperative pain effectively. key words: occlusal reduction, postoperative pain, percussion, passive stepback technique, visual analogue scale. address: dr. musoud saatchi (assistant professor), department of endodontics, school of dentistry, isfahan university of medical sciences and health services, isfahan, iran. e-mail: [email protected] journal of isfahan dental school 2005; 1(3&4): 15-18.