Pain experienced by patients undergoing different periodontal therapies.
BACKGROUND
The authors assessed the levels of postoperative pain, postoperative dentin hypersensitivity and discomfort patients experienced during various periodontal treatments by using a visual analog scale (VAS). They aimed to determine whether VAS scores could be predicted by patient's age and sex and to evaluate the factors associated with the pain.


METHODS
The study was carried out with 56 patients who had chronic periodontitis. Using a split-mouth design, the authors selected one quadrant in each patient and treated it with scaling and root planing (SRP). They treated other quadrants with the surgical therapies of modified Widman flap (MWF), flap with osseous resection (OF) and gingivectomy (GV), depending on the patient's diagnosis and treatment needs. They measured patients' discomfort during periodontal treatments, postoperative pain and postoperative dentin hypersensitivity by asking patients to mark a VAS.


RESULTS
The authors' analysis showed no statistically significant differences between the patients' discomfort levels associated with the four therapy types during periodontal treatment. However, postoperative pain was significantly higher for OF (P < .01) and GV (P < .05) procedures than for SRP and MWF procedures. All surgical procedures produced significantly more dentin hypersensitivity than did nonsurgical therapy. The analysis showed no statistically significant differences between male and female patients' discomfort during periodontal treatments. For all periodontal treatments, VAS scores decreased with increasing age.


CONCLUSIONS
Discomfort during periodontal treatments, postoperative pain and postoperative dentin hypersensitivity were associated significantly with age, type of therapy and higher scores on Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale.


CONCLUSIONS
Periodontal treatment is experienced as painful by substantial numbers of patients. Therefore, the dentist should count the pain responses during and after treatment and estimate the degree of pain according to sex, age and therapy type.
Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, Atatürk University, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey. cfcanakci@yahoo.com
Cenk Fatih
CF
Canakçi
Varol
V
Canakçi
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000601:surgery; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D012534:Dental Scaling / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003807:Dentin Sensitivity / Q000209:etiology; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005890:Gingivectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019647:Oral Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000009:adverse effects