OR26 - Investigating Pain Catastrophizing and Resilience on Pre- and Post-operative Endodontic Treatment

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to investigate the association between pain catastrophizing, pain resilience, and treatment expectations with oral health-related quality of life (QoL) and pain outcomes in patients receiving endodontic therapy. A secondary aim was to determine whether changes in pre-/post-operative pain catastrophizing and resilience predict changes in treatment-related outcomes.

Methods: This single arm quasi-experimental study included 58 adults (18+ years) diagnosed with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis who were receiving non-surgical root canal treatment. Participants completed several questionnaires including the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Pain Resilience Scale, a measure of treatment expectancy, the PROMIS Pain Intensity and Interference scales, and the Oral Health Impact Profile (as a measure of QoL). Questionnaires were administered pre-operatively and two weeks after their root canal was completed. A multivariable linear regression model with demographic characteristics (i.e., age, sex, or race) as potential confounders was used for statistical analysis.

Results: After accounting for relevant demographic characteristics, pre-operative pain catastrophizing was significantly associated with higher pre-operative oral health QoL, as well as greater pain interference and pain intensity (all p’s <0.05). No significant associations were observed between pain resilience and treatment expectancy with pain outcomes nor between pre- and post-operative outcomes.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that pain catastrophizing may serve as an important psychological factor to consider in the management of endodontic pain. Future research should explore targeted interventions to address pain catastrophizing to improve treatment-related outcomes and enhance patient experiences during endodontic therapy.