Evaluation of post-operative pain after single-sitting pulpectomy using hand versus rotary instrumentation in primary molars

Bioinformation. 2026 Mar 31;22(3):1354-1360. doi: 10.6026/973206300221354. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

Post-operative pain after single-sitting pulpectomy in primary molars significantly affects children's treatment acceptance and subsequent behaviour. Therefore, it is of interest to compare hand versus rotary instrumentation in 80 children (4-9 years) requiring pulpectomy in mandibular primary molars (n=40 each). Pain was assessed using the Wong-Baker FACES scale at 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours post-treatment, alongside analgesic consumption. Rotary instrumentation showed significantly lower pain scores at 6 hours (1.85±1.12 vs 3.20± 1.45, p<0.001), 12 hours (1.42±0.98 vs 2.65±1.28, p<0.001), and 24 hours (0.78±0.72 vs 1.55±1.08, p< 0.001). Rotary instrumentation reduces post-operative pain compared to hand files, establishing it as the preferred technique for single- visit pulpectomy in pediatric endodontics.

PMID:42145417 | PMC:PMC13177065 | DOI:10.6026/973206300221354