POSTOPERATIVE PAIN AND DISCOMFORT WITH AND WITHOUT PERIODONTAL DRESSING IN CONJUNCTION WITH 0.2-PERCENT CHLORHEXIDINE MOUTHWASH AFTER APICALLY POSITIONED FLAP PROCEDURE

THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY was to evaluate patient postoperative pain e xperience and discomfort with and without the use of a periodontal dre ssing in combination with a 0.2% chlorhexidine mouthwash after interna l bevelled, full thickness, apically positioned flap procedure. Twenty -four patients requiring comparable bilateral flap procedures were sel ected. Using a split-mouth design, one site received a periodontal dre ssing while the other site did not. A 0.2% chlorhexidine mouthwash (10 ml for 1 minute twice daily) was prescribed postoperatively for all p atients. Pain assessment was made according to a structured, categoriz ed scale (0 = no pain; 1 = mild pain; 2 = moderate pain; and 3 = sever e pain). Analgesic drug consumption was recorded during the first post operative week. After at least a one-month period, the second flap pro cedure was performed using the alternate postoperative treatment. At t he conclusion of the trial, a self-administered questionnaire on posto perative experience was administered. Results indicated a similar tren d for mean pain scores as assessed by patients for both dressed and un dressed sides during the 7-day postoperative period. Statistical analy sis revealed no significant differences between treatment groups with respect to frequency distribution of patients who did or did not take analgesics or the daily and total consumption of analgesic drops. Alth ough patients with dressing frequently experienced eating difficulty, most stated a psychological feeling of protection and well-being with its use.