Effect of 2% chlorhexidine root canal irrigating solution on postoperative pain

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of postoperative pain after cleaning and shaping of root canals using chlorhexidine irrigant for debridement.Study designwasRandomized Controlled Trial. The study was conducted in Operative Dentistry Department, Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry, Rawalpindi from October 2013 to October 2014 over a period of 12 months. A total of 220 patients with mandibular first premolar teeth having symptomatic irreversible pulpitis were divided into two equal groups. Group A patients were treated with 2% Chlorhexidine solution and Group B patients were treated with normal saline solution, that is, Control Group. Patient's pain response was recorded immediately after procedure and after 6 hours of treatment, using Visual Analogue Scale. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. The studied subjects were 220 with mean age 32.84 [SD +8.836]. Each Group had 110patients. There was no statistically significant difference in the gender of the patients among both groups.Mild pain immediately after treatment was noted in 54.1% [n=119] of patients whereas 45.9% [n=101] patients had moderate pain. Mild pain after 6 hours of treatment was noted in 76.4% [n=168] of patients and 23.6% [n=52] had moderate pain. Within the limitations of this study, it is concluded that the use of 2% Chlorhexidine solution did not had significant effect on the reduction of post-operative pain