The Determination of Flare-Up Incidence and Associated Risk Factors During Endodontic Treatment: An Observational Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: Endodontic flare-up signifies pain and/or swelling seen within a few days after an endodontic appointment by patients requiring an emergency. These are undesirable and unwanted as they cause great discomfort to the subjects and stress to the operator due to swelling and pain.Aims: This study aims to determine the flare-up incidence and associated risk factors during endodontic treatment.Methods: The present retrospective study assessed 1000 patients of both genders for endodontic flare-ups. Flare-up cases were patients having swelling or pain within 1-3 days after a root canal appointment and needing an emergency visit for relieving the symptoms. After data recording, it was subjected to statistical analysis to assess related factors, flare-up cause, and incidence rate using Fisher's exact test and chi-square test.Results: In the present study, the incidence rate of flare-ups is 9.4%. The majority of flare-ups were in the molar teeth followed by the anterior teeth and 6.7% (n=30) of the premolar teeth. For the number of canals, it was seen in 13.6% (n=24) of cases with multiple canals, 5.5% (n=12) of cases with two canals, and 9.6% (n=58) of cases with a single canal. In patients with no medical history, flare-ups were significantly less compared to patients with medical history (p<0.001). A significantly higher number of flare-ups were in the teeth having pulp necrosis with periapical lesions with 45.9% (n=34) (p<0.001).Conclusion: Flare-ups are commonly seen in multiple canal teeth having pulp necrosis with periapical lesions with an associated medical history, with females being more prone to endodontic flare-up cases.