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. 2022 Oct;8(5):1082-1091.
doi: 10.1002/cre2.628. Epub 2022 Jul 7.

Pain intensity and salivary α-amylase activity in patients following mandibular third molar surgery

Wanvipa Surin  1 , Piyanart Chatiketu  2 , Nuntouchaporn Hutachok  3 , Somdet Srichairatanakool  3 , Vuttinun Chatupos  1
Affiliations

Pain intensity and salivary α-amylase activity in patients following mandibular third molar surgery

Wanvipa Surin et al. Clin Exp Dent Res. 2022 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to compare the levels of pain and salivary α-amylase (SAA) in patients before and after mandibular third molar surgery.

Materials and methods: Patients were divided into asymptomatic and symptomatic groups and were then identified by the analgesic drug taken throughout the 2-week study. The visual analog scale (VAS) was employed to evaluate the severity of pain experienced by a given subject before treatment, when the anesthetic wore off, in the morning, and at night for a period of 1 week. Saliva was collected from the mouth floor of the subjects and the levels of SAA activity were measured at indicated times.

Results: The levels of postoperative pain were higher than those of pretreatment pain (p < 0.05), but were not necessarily different between the two groups. The pain levels were positively correlated with SAA activities in both groups (p < 0.05). There was no difference between the number of analgesics taken by the two groups and the postoperative complications observed during the study. A significant correlation was observed between the VAS pain scale and SAA activities.

Conclusion: SAA would be a simple effective biomarker for the objective assessment of pain intensity in patients who have undergone mandibular third molar surgery.

Keywords: molar surgery; pain; saliva; α-amylase.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Visual analog scale‐scored pain assessment in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients before and after mandibular third molar extraction. Data are expressed as mean ± SD values (n = 16 each). Significant differences were observed when using the Wilcoxon Signed‐Rank test, for which # p < 0.05 when compared to the asymptomatic group and *p < 0.05 when compared to the preoperative pain level.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Levels of salivary α‐amylase activities in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients before and after mandibular third molar extraction. Data are expressed as mean ± SD values (n = 16 each). Significant differences were observed when the Wilcoxon Signed‐Rank test was employed, for which *p < 0.05 when compared to the preoperative pain level.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Correlation between pain intensity levels and salivary α‐amylase activity in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients before and after mandibular third molar extraction. Data are presented for asymptomatic (a) and symptomatic (b) groups. Significant difference was observed when using the Spearman test, for which p < 0.05 was considered significantly different.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Average values in terms of the total dosage of analgesic drugs (paracetamol and ibuprofen) taken by asymptomatic and symptomatic patients on each postoperative day for 7 days.
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