Influence of Photodynamic Therapy in the Control of Postoperative Pain in Endodontic Treatment: A Cross-Sectional Randomized Clinical Trial

Objective: To evaluate the postoperative pain at different times after endodontic treatment with and without the use of photodynamic therapy (PDT) of asymptomatic teeth with apical periodontitis.  Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional randomized clinical trial, the treatment was performed in a single visit with and without the use of photodynamic therapy. The sample consisted of 10 patients with two teeth in the same jaw, but on different sides (split-mouth), subjected to the same endodontic treatment with reciprocating instrumentation in the apical foramen instrumentation limit. The teeth from each patient were randomly divided into two groups: G1 (Control): endodontic treatment without photodynamic therapy and G2 (PDT): received methylene blue 0.005% and irradiation with a low-level laser. The fillings were performed with a Touch'n Heat technical device and Ah Plus sealer. The treatments of G1 and G2 in the same patient were performed in an interval of 3 weeks between them and the blinding study was ensured during all long treatment. Postoperative pain was recorded using an adapted VAS scale in times of 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 hours.  Results: In both groups, the highest value recorded at the VAS scale was 2 mm (no pain), and there were no statistically significant differences in postoperative pain between the groups at any observation times (p<0.05).  Conclusion: The photodynamic therapy did not have advantages to control postoperative pain in endodontic treatments of asymptomatic teeth with apical periodontitis, since both groups showed low levels of pain in all patients evaluated.