(PR143) The Effect of Er,Cr:YSGG (EdgePro™, EdgeEndo®) on Pain During Root Canal Treatment

Objective: To evaluate the effect of Er,Cr:YSGG laser therapy during chemo-mechanical preparation of root canals on postoperative pain.

Methods: Data were collected from 52 participants with necrotic teeth undergoing RCT at University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine Endodontic Clinic. Each participant was randomly assigned to either the standard of care control group (sodium hypochlorite, NaOCl) or the laser group (saline + Er,Cr:YSGG laser).  Patients rated their preoperative pain using a numeric rating scale (0 = no pain, 10 = worst pain) and the Wong-Baker facial grimace scale. Following the first visit, postoperative pain intensity was recorded at 4, 24, and 48 hours. Patients were instructed to take and log medications as needed.

Results: A total of 49 surveys were returned, yielding a 94.23% response rate: 24 from the laser group and 25 from the control group. Preoperative pain levels were statistically significant for both groups. However, treatment group, age, gender, and tooth type were not statistically related to postoperative pain. Patients with an acute apical abscess experienced greater postoperative pain compared to those with other periapical diagnoses. Periapical diagnosis, presence of preoperative pain, and time following treatment were significantly associated with postoperative pain.

Conclusions: Acute apical abscess and high preoperative pain were associated with elevated postoperative pain, which decreased over time. Postoperative pain diminished over time in both treatment groups, with no statistically significant differences between the control group (sodium hypochlorite, NaOCl) or the laser group (saline + Er,Cr:YSGG laser) at any of the assessed time points.