Post‐Operative Endodontic Pain Management: An Overview of Systematic Reviews on Post‐Operatively Administered Oral Medications and Integrated Evidence‐Based Clinical Recommendations

Endodontic treatment comprises the overall management of pre‐, intra‐ and post‐operative symptoms, including post‐operative endodontic pain, considered as a complication susceptible of chronicization. Post‐operative pain is very common and highly unpreventable and has a multi-factorial etiology and a potential pathogenic link to the acute inflammation of the periapical area, secondary to localized chemical, mechanical, host and/or microbial damage occurring during endodontic treatment. Considering the multitude of heterogeneous technical and pharmacological approaches proposed to control post‐operative endodontic pain, the present study primarily comprised an overview of systematic reviews of systematic reviews of randomized clinical trials, summarizing findings on post‐operatively administered oral medications for post‐operative endodontic pain control, in order to note the most effective type and dosage of such drugs. Secondarily, a narrative review of the current evidence on technical solutions to be observed during endodontic treatment procedures, to control post‐operative pain, was conducted to provide integrated evidence‐based clinical recommendations for optimal post‐operative endodontic pain management.