Post-operative Pain after Photo-Active Disinfection (PAD) Supplemented Single Visit Root Canal Treatment in Teeth with Symptomatic Apical Periodontitis

Objective: To observe the incidence of post-operative pain after single-visit Non-Surgical Endodontic Therapy (NSET) in teeth with symptomatic apical periodontitis disinfected with Photo-Activated Disinfection (PAD). Methods: Single-rooted teeth (N=30) with pulp necrosis and symptomatic apical periodontitis were included. Subsequent to chemo mechanical preparation, the teeth were randomly distributed into two groups: group I (n=15) which received calcium hydroxide slurry as an intracanal medicament and group II (n=15) which received PAD and obturation in the same visit. Postoperative pain was recorded at 4, 24, 48 and72 hours using a visual analog pain scale. One-way analysis of variance post hoc Tukey test was used to compare the score. Results: There was a significant reduction in pain after instrumentation in Groups I and II. The pain reduction was more in group I as compared to group II at 4 hours. There was no statistically significant difference seen in both the groups at 24, 48 and 72 hours postoperatively. Conclusion: Application of PAD as an adjunct in single visit NSET has no noticeable difference in pain perception when compared with the use of calcium hydroxide interim dressing in two visits NSET.