Patients' pain experience following oral mucosal biopsy under local anaesthesia.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the incidence and severity of post-operative pain and use of analgesics following biopsy of oral mucosal lesions.


METHODS
A patient survey using a self-completed pain diary.


METHODS
Seventy-six patients attending an oral medicine clinic for investigation of oral mucosal disease recorded overall and worst pain experiences and analgesic usage over 7 post-operative days following biopsy using visual analogue scales in patient completed diaries.


RESULTS
One third of patients reported no post-operative pain on any day. Most patients recorded no pain or mild pain. The percentage experiencing pain dropped from the first day (61%) to the seventh day (21%). Most patients did not use any analgesics. Analgesic use was not related to the presence of pain. Only a small minority of patients recorded severe pain.


CONCLUSIONS
Biopsy of oral mucosal lesions does not cause undue pain in most patients.
Department of Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology, School of Dental Science, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
H P
HP
Kearns
B E
BE
McCartan
P J
PJ
Lamey
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000766:Anesthesia, Dental; D000772:Anesthesia, Local; D001706:Biopsy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000601:surgery*; D019647:Oral Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000209:etiology*
D000700:Analgesics