Factors Reducing Postoperative Pain Related to Root Canal Treatment: A Narrative Review of Systematic Reviews

<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Pain after root canal treatment is a common concern that can greatly affect a patient’s quality of life. Identifying the factors contributing to this pain and focusing on those supported by high-quality research can lead to more effective pain management. Th...

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Main Author: Abdelrahman M. Alhilou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Dentistry Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/13/3/102
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author Abdelrahman M. Alhilou
author_facet Abdelrahman M. Alhilou
author_sort Abdelrahman M. Alhilou
collection DOAJ
description <b>Background/Objectives:</b> Pain after root canal treatment is a common concern that can greatly affect a patient’s quality of life. Identifying the factors contributing to this pain and focusing on those supported by high-quality research can lead to more effective pain management. This narrative review aims to analyze all available systematic reviews on this topic to determine what has been proven to help decrease pain following the root canal procedure. <b>Methods:</b> A comprehensive literature search was conducted across Scopus and Google Scholar from January 2000 to January 2024, using defined MeSH terms. This yielded 51 systematic reviews, of which 45 specifically investigated factors reducing postoperative pain related to root canal treatment. <b>Results:</b> Eleven factors were identified in the literature, with only eight factors supported by low- to moderate-quality evidence to reduce postoperative pain related to root canal treatment. These eight factors include (1) laser therapy, (2) nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (especially when combined with acetaminophen) and corticosteroids, (3) ultrasonic irrigation and low concentrations of sodium hypochlorite, (4) cryotherapy, (5) specific combinations of intracanal medicaments (notably calcium hydroxide with chlorhexidine), (6) bioceramic sealers, (7) rotary instrumentation, and (8) apical patency. <b>Conclusions:</b> The insights gained from this narrative review highlight several important factors that reduce postoperative pain related to root canal treatment. Nevertheless, the observed variability in the quality of the evidence calls attention to the necessity for further high-quality research.
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spelling doaj-art-6cfd85e3d11a4c9db0b76508bb75697b2025-08-20T03:43:21ZengMDPI AGDentistry Journal2304-67672025-02-0113310210.3390/dj13030102Factors Reducing Postoperative Pain Related to Root Canal Treatment: A Narrative Review of Systematic ReviewsAbdelrahman M. Alhilou0Department of Restorative Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Pain after root canal treatment is a common concern that can greatly affect a patient’s quality of life. Identifying the factors contributing to this pain and focusing on those supported by high-quality research can lead to more effective pain management. This narrative review aims to analyze all available systematic reviews on this topic to determine what has been proven to help decrease pain following the root canal procedure. <b>Methods:</b> A comprehensive literature search was conducted across Scopus and Google Scholar from January 2000 to January 2024, using defined MeSH terms. This yielded 51 systematic reviews, of which 45 specifically investigated factors reducing postoperative pain related to root canal treatment. <b>Results:</b> Eleven factors were identified in the literature, with only eight factors supported by low- to moderate-quality evidence to reduce postoperative pain related to root canal treatment. These eight factors include (1) laser therapy, (2) nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (especially when combined with acetaminophen) and corticosteroids, (3) ultrasonic irrigation and low concentrations of sodium hypochlorite, (4) cryotherapy, (5) specific combinations of intracanal medicaments (notably calcium hydroxide with chlorhexidine), (6) bioceramic sealers, (7) rotary instrumentation, and (8) apical patency. <b>Conclusions:</b> The insights gained from this narrative review highlight several important factors that reduce postoperative pain related to root canal treatment. Nevertheless, the observed variability in the quality of the evidence calls attention to the necessity for further high-quality research.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/13/3/102root canal therapiesendodonticspainpostoperative
spellingShingle Abdelrahman M. Alhilou
Factors Reducing Postoperative Pain Related to Root Canal Treatment: A Narrative Review of Systematic Reviews
Dentistry Journal
root canal therapies
endodontics
pain
postoperative
title Factors Reducing Postoperative Pain Related to Root Canal Treatment: A Narrative Review of Systematic Reviews
title_full Factors Reducing Postoperative Pain Related to Root Canal Treatment: A Narrative Review of Systematic Reviews
title_fullStr Factors Reducing Postoperative Pain Related to Root Canal Treatment: A Narrative Review of Systematic Reviews
title_full_unstemmed Factors Reducing Postoperative Pain Related to Root Canal Treatment: A Narrative Review of Systematic Reviews
title_short Factors Reducing Postoperative Pain Related to Root Canal Treatment: A Narrative Review of Systematic Reviews
title_sort factors reducing postoperative pain related to root canal treatment a narrative review of systematic reviews
topic root canal therapies
endodontics
pain
postoperative
url https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/13/3/102
work_keys_str_mv AT abdelrahmanmalhilou factorsreducingpostoperativepainrelatedtorootcanaltreatmentanarrativereviewofsystematicreviews