Evaluation of postoperative pain with cryotherapy in teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis with symptomatic apical periodontitis after single-visit endodontics: A randomized clinical study

Aim: The aim of the study was to clinically evaluate the postoperative pain following use of cryotherapy in teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis and symptomatic apical periodontitis after single-visit-endodontics. Methods: After institutional ethical approval (SVIEC/ON/Dent/SRP/18115) and informed consent, a total of 120 patients were included as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients with single-rooted, mature teeth having symptomatic irreversible pulpitis with symptomatic apical periodontitis were included in the study. All the enrolled individuals were randomly divided by computer randomization into two groups: Group A – normal saline (n = 60) and Group B – cryotherapy (n = 60). Endodontic access cavity along with cleaning and shaping was performed under isolation. In Group A, irrigation was done with normal saline for 5 min. In Group B, 2.5°C cold saline was used for 5 min. In both the groups, obturation and postendodontic restoration were performed at the same visit. An evaluation was done by the blinded evaluator using a modified Verbal Rating Scale at 24 h and 48 h. In this study, both patients and evaluators were blinded. Paired t-test and independent t-test were used with SPSS 18.0 version. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Both at 24 and 48 h, cryotherapy showed a highly statistically significant difference (P < 0.000) than normal saline irrigation in the reduction of postoperative pain after single-visit endodontic treatment. Conclusion: Final irrigation with 2.5°C cold saline can result in a significant reduction in postoperative pain as compared to that of normal saline after single-visit endodontics in single-rooted teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis with symptomatic apical periodontitis.