Incidence of Endodontic Flare-ups Using Either Calcium Hydroxide or Creosote as Intracanal Medicament in Symptomatic Teeth

Objective: To enhance our knowledge about the superior intracanal medicament available for reducing the interappointment pain in endodontic treatment. Methodology: Hundred symptomatic teeth presenting to the Department of Operative Dentistry, Khyber College of Dentistry were included in this study. All teeth underwent conventional root canal treatment. The canals were dried and one of the following two medicaments was inserted into the canal in random sequence: Group 1: Calcium Hydroxide paste; Group 2: Creosote. Before dismissal, the preoperative pain experienced on the previous night was recorded using a visual analogue pain scale. Patients were instructed to record the degree of pain experienced 4 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours and 48 hours after the treatment. Results: Patients who received Calcium Hydroxide have a lower incidence of flare-up when compared to Creosote. Conclusion: Based on this study, Calcium Hydroxide is the superior intracanal medicament in terms of postoperative pain.