Effect of Calcium Hypochlorite as an irrigating solution in Endodontic Treatment: Randomized clinical trial

Introduction: The aim of this study was to clinically compare the incidence of postoperative pain and analgesic intake after endodontic treatment with calcium hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite in teeth with chronic apical periodontitis. Methods: In a prospective randomized clinical study, 63 patients presenting for treatment of asymptomatic teeth were randomly assigned to 2 groups according to the irrigation solution used: calcium hypochlorite CaOCl 2.5% (33 patients) or sodium hypochlorite NaOCl 2.5% (30 patients). Rotary instruments were used to prepare the root canal. All treatments were carried out in a single session. After treatment, patients were prescribed ibuprofen 400 mg, to be taken every 6 hours if they felt pain. Patients were given a card to record their perception of pain using the visual analog scale (VAS) according to 4 classes (no pain, mild pain, moderate pain, and severe pain) after intervals of 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, and 7 days. Patients were also asked to record the number of prescribed analgesic tablets taken. The Mann-Whitney and Fisher's exact tests were used for statistical analysis (P < 0.05). Results: No statistically significant difference was found between the solutions used in relation to postoperative pain or the intake of analgesic tablets. Conclusion: There was no statistical difference between the substances in postoperative pain and the use of anti-inflammatory medication.