Impacto de la crioterapia en la incidencia de dolor postoperatorio en pacientes con pulpitis irreversible: experiencia clínica semestre A-2026.

Abstract

The main objective of the present study was to analyze the impact of cryotherapy on the incidence of postoperative pain in patients with irreversible pulpitis. The research was conducted at the Dental Clinic of the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil during the A–2026 academic period. Materials and Methods: This study included 70 patients who were randomly divided into two groups with an equal number of participants: the Control Group (CG) and the Experimental Group (EG). Intracanal cryotherapy was applied to the EG at a temperature of 4°C for 4 minutes. The endodontic procedure was performed according to the established clinical protocol, and once the treatment was completed, postoperative pain was assessed after 24, 48, and 72 hours using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Results: After the first 24 hours, the EG reported a mean of 3, compared with a median of 7 in the CG (p < 0.001). At 48 hours, the mean was 1 in the EG and 5 in the CG (p < 0.001). Finally, at 72 hours, the median was 0 in the EG and 3 in the CG (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results show that the application of cryotherapy at 4°C had a positive impact, reducing the intensity of postoperative pain compared with the control group during the three follow-up periods.