Effect of occlusal adjustment on postoperative pain after root canal treatment: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract The aim of this prospective, randomized, clinical study was to analyze the influence of occlusal adjustment on the prevalence of postoperative pain after endodontic treatment. Seventy-eight patients, diagnosed with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis with indication for endodontic treatment, were selected to participate in the study. The participants were randomized and divided into two groups: in the occlusal adjustment group (OAG), endodontic treatment was performed with subsequent occlusal adjustment. In the control group (CG), endodontic treatment was performed without occlusal adjustment. Treatments were performed by the same operator. Pain occurrence and intensity were recorded on two scales: the verbal rating scale (VRS) and numerical rating scale (NRS). Pain assessment was carried out by a second examiner, blinded to the experiment, 6, 24 and 72 h after endodontic treatment. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney, chi-squared, and Fisher's exact tests. In the occlusal adjustment group, 71.1% reported postoperative pain and 67.5% reported pain in the control group. At the 6-hour assessment, 21 individuals reported pain in the occlusal adjustment group and 24 in the control group (p=0.672). At the 24-hour assessment, 18 and 19 individuals reported pain (p=0.991) and at the 72-hour assessment, 8 and 4 reported pain (p=0.219), respectively. Occlusal adjustment did not influence the prevalence of postoperative pain of endodontically treated teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis.

Resumo O objetivo deste estudo prospectivo, randomizado e clínico foi analisar a influência do ajuste oclusal na prevalência de dor pós-operatória após o tratamento endodôntico. Setenta e oito pacientes, diagnosticados com pulpite irreversível sintomática com indicação de tratamento endodôntico, foram selecionados para participar do estudo. Os participantes foram randomizados e divididos em dois grupos: no grupo de ajuste oclusal (GAO), foi realizado tratamento endodôntico com posterior ajuste oclusal. No grupo controle (GC), o tratamento endodôntico foi realizado sem ajuste oclusal. Os tratamentos foram realizados pelo mesmo operador. A ocorrência e a intensidade da dor foram registradas em duas escalas: a escala de classificação verbal (VRS) e a escala de classificação numérica (NRS). A avaliação da dor foi realizada por um segundo examinador, cego para o experimento, 6, 24 e 72 horas após o tratamento endodôntico. Os dados foram analisados utilizando testes de Mann-Whitney, qui-quadrado e exato de Fisher. No grupo de ajuste oclusal, 71,1% relataram dor pós-operatória e 67,5% relataram dor no grupo controle. Na avaliação de 6 horas, 21 indivíduos relataram dor no grupo de ajuste oclusal e 24 no grupo controle (p=0,672). Na avaliação de 24 horas, 18 e 19 indivíduos relataram dor (p=0,991) e, na avaliação de 72 horas, 8 e 4 relataram dor (p=0,219), respectivamente. O ajuste oclusal não influenciou a prevalência de dor pós-operatória após o tratamento endodôntico em dentes com pulpite irreversível sintomática.

A simplified chair-side remount technique using customized mounting platforms

Correct occlusal relationships are part of the successful prosthetic treatment for edentulous patients. Fabrication of complete dentures comprises of clinical and laboratory procedures that should be executed accurately for achieving success with fabricated dentures. Errors occurring during the clinical and laboratory procedures of a denture may subsequently lead to the occlusal errors in the final prosthesis. These occlusal errors can be corrected in two ways: i) in patient's mouth ii) by recording new centric relation and remounting dentures on an articulator. The latter method is more feasible because the mobility of denture base on the mucosa in oral cavity does not permit the identification of premature contacts in centric occlusion and tooth guided eccentric excursions. This article describes a modest and effective clinical chair-side remount procedure using customized mounting platforms.