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Abstract
Background
The apical periodontitis is an endodontic disease that is characterized by pain and periapical inflammation due to microbial infection. Essential items to have in the intracanal medicaments are required to control pain and disinfect the area. Triple antibiotic paste and calcium hydroxide are commonly used, but their relative effectiveness in alleviating postoperative pain is still of clinical importance.
Objective
To compare the pain score of the calcium hydroxide and triple antibiotic paste as intracanal medicament in a patient with single-rooted apical periodontitis.
Place and duration of study: From May 2025 to October 2025 Operative Dentistry & Endodontics Department, Combined Military Hospital Quetta
Methodology
This Randomized Controlled Trial consisted of 74 patients with single-root teeth who had been treated at the Department of Endodontic Dentistry, CMH Hospital, Quetta. Six months after approval of the synopsis from CPSP, apical periodontitis. The sample was randomly split into two equal groups (n=37 each). Group A was treated with triple antibiotic paste, and Group B was treated with calcium hydroxide as intracanal medicament. Endodontic standardized procedures were done. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to measure the level of pain at 24, 48, and 72 hours after the treatment. An independent t-test was conducted, and the data were analyzed in SPSS version 25. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results
The mean age of participants was 32.4 ± 8.6 years. Group A demonstrated lower mean pain scores at 24 hours (4.1 ± 1.2 vs. 5.0 ± 1.4; p=0.003) and 48 hours (2.3 ± 0.9 vs. 3.2 ± 1.1; p=0.001) compared to Group B. At 72 hours, the difference was not statistically significant (1.1 ± 0.6 vs. 1.8 ± 0.8; p=0.07). Both groups showed progressive pain reduction over time.
Conclusion
Triple antibiotic paste proves to be better than calcium hydroxide in alleviating early postoperative pain. Its quicker analgesic action favors its use in the clinical setting, but both medications are good overall.