Objective: To evaluate the significant difference in the incidence and severity of post-obturation pain following single-visit and multiple-visit root canal treatments.
Methodology: This study was conducted in the Operative Dentistry Department of Rawal Dental Hospital in Islamabad. A total of 156 patients were randomly assigned to two groups, with 78 participants in each group. Prior to treatment, all participants were asked to mark a horizontal scale to indicate the intensity of their pain. After 24 hours of treatment, participants were questioned about their pain using a Visual-Analogue Scale. SPSS- 20 was used & Independent T-test was done for an analysis. P<0.05 was well-thought-out as statistically significant.
Results: The study comprised 93 male participants (59.6%) and 63 female participants (40%). Among the treated teeth, 80 (51%) were anterior teeth, and 76 (48%) were posterior teeth. The mean Visual-Analogue Scale (VAS) and standard deviation (SD) for Group 1 before treatment were 9.12 and 1.98, respectively, while for Group 2, they were 8.76 and 1.03, respectively. After 24 hours post-operatively, the mean VAS and S.D for Group 1 were 5.58 and 1.92, and for Group 2, they were 4.86 and 1.18, respectively. An independent sample t-test revealed a statistically insignificant variation in pre- and post-operative pain levels in both groups.
Conclusion: The incidence of pain was lower in the multi-visit group compared to the single-visit group, but this difference was not statistically significant.