title: The relationship between resting arterial blood pressure and acute postoperative pain in endodontic patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the relationship between preoperative resting arterial blood pressure and postoperative pain in patients undergoing nonsurgical root canal therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Written informed consent was obtained from normotensive patients seeking treatment for teeth with a preoperative diagnosis of pulpal necrosis and periradicular periodontitis. Preoperative resting blood pressure was recorded, and nonsurgical root canal therapy was initiated using a standardized protocol. Patients recorded their pre- and postoperative pain intensity on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) for 7 days after the procedure. A linear regression model to predict postoperative VAS intensity used preoperative pain and blood pressure values as covariates. Pearson correlations were calculated to assess the relationship between the measures of preoperative blood pressure and both pre- and postoperative pain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After controlling for preoperative pain, significant correlations were observed between preoperative systolic blood pressure and postoperative pain (P < .05), as well as between preoperative pulse pressure and postoperative pain (P < .005) on day 1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study has provided further evidence of a functional interaction between the cardiovascular and trigeminal pain regulatory systems. Understanding this complex relationship may lead to enhanced pain management strategies.
authors.affiliation: Center for Neurosensory Disorders, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: James Wayne
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bair
authors.forename: Derek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Duggan
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Maixner
authors.forename: Asma A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D059787:Acute Pain; D062186:Arterial Pressure; D003790:Dental Pulp Necrosis / Q000628:therapy; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019370:Observation; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010485:Periapical Periodontitis / Q000628:therapy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012390:Root Canal Therapy; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires