Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the effect of long acting anesthetics on postoperative pain in teeth with irreversible pulpitis. METHODOLOGY: Forty patients were randomly assigned into two groups of twenty patients each. Each patient who fit the inclusion criteria was administered local anesthesia before undergoing root canal treatment. The anesthetic solution was either 2% lidocaine with 1:80,000 epinephrine or 0.5% bupivacaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine. Patients were instructed to complete a VAS pain score at 6, 12, 24 h after single visit root canal treatment. Data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney, Cochrane Q analysis and t test to compare qualitative and quantitative data between the groups. RESULTS: The results showed the levels of pain of the patients who received lidocaine as the anesthetic agent and had significantly more postoperative pain after root canal treatment (P < 0.05) but had significantly decreased pain by 24 h compared to the bupivacaine group patients who had significantly lower postoperative pain levels at 6 and 12 h. CONCLUSION: The use of long acting local anesthetic can significantly reduce the postoperative pain in teeth with irreversible pulpitis.