Evaluation of post-operative pain following dental procedures under local anesthesia among pediatric patients at Al Rass, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Evaluation of post-operative pain in children after receiving dental treatments under local anesthesia is of interest. Hence, a study consisting of 182 children aged from 4 to 12 years old, who received at least one of the following procedures: dental restoration, extraction, placement of stainless steel crown (SSC) with or without pulpotomy is completed. Parents were contacted by phone within 48 hours to assess post-operative pain by using Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale (WBF). Individuals who were reachable via phone (146 out of 182, response rate 80.2%). 30.8% of them reported experiencing pain or discomfort (WBF more than or equal 2). Pediatric patients who had SSC on their primary molars had a considerably higher incidence of reporting pain than any other dental procedures (44.8% at p < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in reported pain between placements of SSC alone or SSC with pulpotomy (44.8% and 46.5%, respectively). Further, over-the-counter analgesics were administered in 19.9% of participants.

Keywords: Pain; analgesic; discomfort; pediatric dentistry.