The following is a summary of “Association between Eye Color and postoperative pain in female patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis in mandibular molars: A prospective, parallel-group, observational study,” published in the October 2024 issue of Pain by Sari et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study in female patients to compare the anesthetic efficacy and postoperative pain levels of an inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) between light-eyed and dark-eyed patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (SIP) in a mandibular molar.  

They examined 110 adult women experiencing moderate to severe pain from SIP; each participant received an IANB using 4% articaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine. Endodontic access preparation began after an IANB was confirmed. Pain during the procedure was measured with a Visual Analog Scale and anesthesia success was defined by “none” or “mild” pain. Root canal therapy (RCT) followed standardized protocols, and postoperative pain was recorded at 24, 48, 72 hours, and 7 days. Statistical tests, including the independent t-test, repeated measures ANOVA, and Pearson’s chi-square test, were used, with significance set at 0.05.  

The results showed no substantial differences between the individuals with light and dark eyes in an IANB and postoperative pain scores at any time point (P > 0.05). The success rate of an IANB was 72.73% for those with light eyes and 67.27% for those with dark eyes.  

Investigators concluded that RCT significantly reduced pain scores in both groups of patients, but there was no association between eye color and anesthetic success or postoperative pain in patients with SIP in a lower molar. 

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1155/2024/8824366