Effect of Root Canal Treatment (Versus no Treatment) for Patients With Tooth Infections and Toothaches

Ohio State University108 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study is to evaluate patients with emergency pain and a sore (infected) tooth to determine if immediate root canal therapy is better at reducing pain, when compared to initial treatment with antibiotic and pain medication followed by root canal therapy. Each participant will be randomly assigned a number, which will determine if they will receive initial endodontic treatment that day or at a later date. Each participant will receive an anesthetic injection, pain medication and a prescription for an antibiotic. They will be asked to keep a diary to record their pain level after the injection and their pain levels and the amount and type of pain medication taken each day for the next 5 days. Participants who did not receive root canal therapy at the initial appointment will receive it after the 5 day postoperative period. The pain levels and medication use will be compared between the treatment and nontreatment groups.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

108

Conditions

Postoperative Pain

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * 18 years or older * in good health (ASA classification I or II) * able to give informed consent * infected tooth with toothache (symptomatic tooth with pulpal necrosis) Exclusion Criteria: * allergy to ibuprofen, acetaminophen or codeine * history of significant medical problems (ASA classification III or greater) * angioedema or bronchospastic reactivity to aspirin or other NSAIDs * pregnant or lactating * inability to give informed consent

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Percent of Patients With Success as Defined by no or Mild Pain as Analyzed on a VAS Scale and no Narcotic Use

pain measurement as assessed on a visual analog scale and pain medication usage definition of success = no or mild pain as analyzed on VAS scale and no narcotic use; analyzed by logistic regression VAS scale is 0 to 170 mm with the higher numbers indicating more pain and less success.

Time frame: each day for 5 days