Objective: To compare the therapeutic effects of one-time root canal treatment versus two-time treatment in patients with irreversible pulpitis.
Methods: We classified 130 patients into a one-time treatment group (group A; n = 68) and a two-time treatment group (group B; n = 62) according to the number of patient visits. Clinical efficacy at 6 months and 1 year follow-ups as well as serum levels of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein before and 1 week after endodontic treatment were observed. Additionally, the level of treatment satisfaction between the two groups was compared, and the degree of pain was evaluated using the visual analogue scale.
Result: One week after treatment, serum interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels were significantly decreased in the two groups; however, levels in group B were significantly lower than those in group A. Additionally, visual analogue scale scores of patients in group A were significantly higher than those of patients in group B.
Conclusion: One-time root canal therapy can effectively improve postoperative pain and the expression of inflammatory factors in the serum of patients undergoing treatment.
Keywords: IL-6; One-time root canal therapy; TNF-α; hs-CRP; pulpitis; visual analog pain scale.