Anticipated Versus Actual Pain Associated With Periodontal Surgery and Use of Pain Medication

Patients may delay or avoid periodontal procedures because of fear of dental pain they will experience. By understanding factors that influence pain experienced, practitioners can provide potentially provide accommodations for their patients. This study investigated if anticipated pain is similar to actual pain experienced and if there are certain factors that influence the amount of pain experienced and/or pain pill usage.

Patients kept a 7 day diary in which they recorded anticipated pain (prior to periodontal surgery) and actual pain experienced for 7 days following the surgical procedure. Patients recorded their pain (anticipated and actual) using a visual analog scale (VAS). Patients also recorded daily pain medication and nutritional supplement use in the 7 day diary.

Other information recorded included factors that could influence pain experienced and pain pill use. For pain experienced, the influence of the following factors were assessed: sex, age, type of surgery, nervousness, sedation use, smoking status, anticipated pain, nutritional supplement use and pain pill use. For pain pill use, the influence of the following factors were assessed: sex, age, type of surgery, nervousness, sedation use, smoking status, anticipated pain, nutritional supplement use and pain experienced. These factors were analyzed using regression analyses.