The effect of pulpotomy using a calcium-enriched mixture cement versus one-visit root canal therapy on postoperative pain relief in irreversible pulpitis: a randomized clinical trial.

The purpose of this noninferiority trial was to compare postoperative pain relief after one-visit root canal therapy (ORCT) with a pulpotomy performed with a new endodontic calcium-enriched mixture cement (PCEM) in human permanent molars with irreversible pulpitis. A total of 407 selected patients were randomly allocated into the ORCT group (n = 202) or the PCEM group (n = 205). Numerical Rating Scale questionnaires were used to record pain intensity (PI) by the patients during the first 7 days after treatment. While there was no statistically significant difference in the mean PI at baseline between the two study groups (P = 0.45), changes in mean PI were significantly different between them (P < 0.001). In the ORCT group, pain relief was achieved after 36 h [95% confidence interval (CI), 27.00-45.00], compared to 18 h in the PCEM group (95% CI, 15.00-21.00), a significant difference (P < 0.01). Comparison of the mean PI sum recorded over 7 days showed that patients in the ORCT group experienced significantly more pain than those in the PCEM group (P < 0.001); a similar difference was observed for pain in response to percussion tests (P < 0.001). Treatment with PCEM thus had the better pain-reducing effects than ORCT in irreversible pulpitis cases.