Postoperative pain following single-visit versus two-visit endodontic retreatment – a comparison of inter-appointment and post-obturation periods: Randomised clinical trial

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the incidence of postoperative pain after single-visit retreatment and two-visit retreatment, assessing pain both after the inter-appointment and post-obturation periods in teeth with asymptomatic periapical lesions. 100 single-rooted endodontically treated teeth were randomly assigned to single-visit or two-visit groups. Postoperative pain was assessed at 12, 24, 48 h and 7 days after obturation and the inter-appointment period. Data were analysed using the Chi-square, Fisher's Exact, McNemar and McNemar–Bowker tests. Postoperative pain after obturation was similar between the groups at 12, 24 h (p > 0.05), but higher at 48 h in single-visit (p < 0.05). No differences were observed between single-visit and inter-appointment periods (p > 0.05). Within the two-visit group, pain decreased in the post-obturation period compared to the inter-appointment period at 12, 24, 48 h (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that the pain experienced between appointments was greater than post-obturation and single-visit retreatment is clinically feasible in terms of postoperative pain.