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.
Kearns
H P
HP
Department of Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology, School of Dental Science, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
McCartan
B E
BE
Lamey
P J
PJ
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