Comparative evaluation of postoperative pain with continuous ultrasonic irrigation, laser-activated irrigation, and laser irradiation: A randomized clinical trial

ABSTRACT Aims: To compare and evaluate the incidence of postoperative pain using continuous ultrasonic irrigation (CUI), laser-activated irrigation (LAI), and laser irradiation (LI). Methods: Sixty-three patients were asked to record their pain level preoperatively using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). The teeth were isolated and routine root canal treatment was initiated. After cleaning and shaping, the participants were allotted to three different groups: Group I: CUI (n = 21), Group II: LAI (n = 21), and Group III: LI (n = 21). At the end of the first visit, all patients were instructed to record pain level on the VAS pain scale chart after 24, 48 h, and after 7 days. Statistical Analysis Used: The data were entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows 26.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), confidence intervals were set at 95%, and P ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Age and gender had no significant difference between the three groups ( P = 0.79). Majority of the patients (41.3%) observed mild pain, 30.2% of the patients observed moderate pain, and 28.6% of the patients observed severe pain according to Numerical Rating Scale. Conclusions: There is no statistical difference between CUI, LAI, and LI on the incidence of interappointment pain.