Comparison of postoperative pain after root canal treatment using reciprocating instruments based on operator?s experience : a prospective clinical study

The aim of the present study was to compare clinically the incidence of postoperative pain after endodontic treatment using the Reciproc System, taking into account the operator?s experience. One hundred patients scheduled for routine endodontic treatment were enrolled in this study. Endodontic treatment was carried out in a single visit by undergraduate and postgraduate students. The chemomechanical preparation of root canals was performed with Reciproc instruments. Pretreatment and postoperative pain was recorded using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Postoperative pain and the need for analgesic consumption were assessed at 4, 8, 16, 24, 48 and 72 hours post-treatment. The data were analyzed using the Mann?Whitney U and Chi-Square test, and the significance was set at P<0.05. The mean value of pain after root canal treatment was 1.13±1.94 and 1.91±2.07 on a VAS between 0 and 10 in treatments performed by undergraduate and postgraduate students, respectively. There was a significant difference in the incidence of postoperative pain between the two groups (P