Postoperative Pain Following Vital Pulp Therapy in Carious Permanent Teeth of Children and Adolescents: A Prospective Cohort Study

BackgroundVital pulp therapy (VPT) is one of the treatments recommended for vital deep carious permanent molars. However, postoperative pain remains underexplored in children and adolescents who have undergone VPT.AimThis study investigated the incidence, intensity, duration, temporal pattern, and analgesic intake of postoperative pain following VPT in children and adolescents. Additionally, factors associated with postoperative pain incidence were explored.DesignA prospective cohort study was conducted in 159 patients aged 6-18 years, involving 174 VPT-treated teeth. Pain intensity, measured with the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Scale (WBFPS), and analgesic intake were recorded daily for 7 days post treatment.ResultsOver the 7-day period, 40.23% of patients experienced postoperative pain. Mean pain intensity decreased from 3.43 +/- 1.96 on Day 1 to 1.26 +/- 1.71 on Day 2. About 52.86% of patients were pain-free between Days 1 and 2, and over 97% were pain-free by Day 7. Analgesics were taken by 25.86% of patients. Compared with the protective liners group, the more invasive types of VPT were associated with higher odds of pain.ConclusionPostoperative pain following VPT was common; however, it was mild, controllable with analgesics, and resolved in most patients. The more invasive VPT types were linked to an increased incidence of pain.