The Effect of Premedication with Curcumin on Post-Operative Pain in Single Visit Endodontic Treatment of Acute Pulpitis in Mandibular Molars: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: The purpose of this randomized double-blind clinical trial was to compare the effect of a single pretreatment dose of Curcumin and placebo on post-operative pain for patients diagnosed with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis in mandibular molars treated in single visit. Methods: Forty-four patients with severe to moderate pain randomly received either Curcumin (400mg +20 mg pepper) or placebo (420 mg Starch) one hour before starting root canal treatment (n = 22 per group). Participants rated their pain using visual analogue pain scale (VAS): preoperatively and at 5 time points: immediately post-operative, 8, 12, 24 and 48 hours postoperative. Patients also stated emergency analgesic intake. The need for supplemental anesthesia during treatment was recorded. Mann-Whitney U-test compared the two groups at each time point, while Repeated-Measure ANOVA and Wilcoxon Signed Rank test compared time points within each group. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Baseline characteristics of both groups showed non-significant differences (P > 05). Curcumin group at 8, 12 and 24 hours revealed statistically significantly less VAS values (44.2, 26.7, 19.1) than the placebo (58.5, 43.3, 30.3), respectively, (P > 05). All patients in Curcumin group did not need emergency analgesics. Curcumin group revealed statistically significantly lower percentages for the need of supplemental anesthesia (27.3%) compared to placebo (68.2%), (P < 05). Conclusion: Single preoperative oral dose of Curcumin proved to be an effective premedication that reduced post-operative pain as well as the need of supplemental anesthesia for patients diagnosed with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis of mandibular molars.