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Effect of Common Analgesics on Pulpal Sensitivity Tests
TAKE-HOME MESSAGE
- Accurate diagnosis of pulpal status is an important aspect of restorative and endodontic procedures. Common analgesics, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen, have the potential to change pulpal sensitivity. This clinical trial evaluated pulpal sensitivity using the electric pulp test (EPT) and cold test in 41 participants with a tooth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis who received either one of the analgesics, ibuprofen or acetaminophen, or placebo. Both analgesics reduced the pulpal responses of the tooth with irreversible pulpitis as well as that of the contralateral control tooth during the cold test. However, the analgesics appeared to have no effect on the tooth during the EPT.
- When patients present with irreversible pulpitis and are on analgesics, clinicians should employ EPT rather than the cold test to assess pulpal sensitivity as analgesics may interfere with the cold sensitivity of the pulp.
abstract
This abstract is available on the publisher's site.
Access this abstract now Full Text Available for ClinicalKey SubscribersINTRODUCTION
Accurate diagnosis is one of the most important steps before endodontic treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of two commonly used analgesics namely ibuprofen and acetaminophen on the cold and electric pulp test (EPT) results in participants with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (SIP).
METHODS
This clinical trial evaluated 41 participants with pain due to SIP. The cold test and EPT were performed for teeth with SIP, and also for the corresponding tooth with healthy pulp in the contralateral quadrant. The participants then received 500 mg acetaminophen, 400 mg ibuprofen, or the placebo in the three groups. The cold test and EPT were repeated at 20, 40, and 60 minutes after medication intake, and the results were compared with the pre-treatment values.
RESULTS
In the acetaminophen group, the results of cold test significantly decreased 40 (P<0.05), and 60 (P<0.05) minutes after analgesic intake in teeth with SIP and after 40 minutes (P<0.05) in the corresponding contralateral teeth with healthy pulp. In the ibuprofen group, the cold test results significantly decreased at 20 (P<0.05), 40 (P<0.05), and 60 (P<0.05) minutes after analgesic intake in teeth with SIP and after 40 minutes (P<0.05) in the corresponding contralateral teeth with healthy pulp. The EPT results were not significantly affected by the studied analgesics at any time point (P>0.05). There was no significant difference among the study groups regarding sex (P>0.05).
CONCLUSION
It appears that both acetaminophen and ibuprofen can affect the pulpal response to the cold sensibility test. However, the studied medications had no significant effect on the EPT results. Therefore, dental clinicians should be aware of the possible effects of such medications on the cold test response.
Additional Info
Disclosure statements are available on the authors' profiles:
Evaluation of the Effect of Common Analgesics on Pulpal Sensibility Tests: A Clinical Trial
J Endod 2023 Jan 16;[EPub Ahead of Print], A Soooratgar, N Khavanin, F Dibaji, Y Asadi, M KharazifardFrom MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.