Postoperative pain following the use of two different intracanal medications.

This study evaluated the incidence of postoperative pain after intracanal dressings with either 0.12% chlorhexidine digluconate gel (CHX) or a calcium hydroxide/camphorated paramonochlorophenol/glycerin paste (CH/CPMC). Overall, 138 asymptomatic teeth had their canals instrumented under irrigation with 2.5% NaOCl and then dressed with either CH/CPMC or CHX. The incidence of different intensity levels of postoperative pain was registered for the period between appointments. Data revealed that 84% of the total number of cases treated with either medicament showed absence of any level of pain. No case medicated with CH/CPMC and four cases (5.8%) medicated with CHX were categorized as flare-ups. There were no statistically significant differences between all possible comparisons involving the two medicaments in treatment/retreatment cases and teeth with/without apical periodontitis lesions. The low incidence of postoperative pain after the use of both medications, coupled to their antimicrobial effectiveness, gives support to using one or the other in routine treatment/retreatment.