Effect of Pretreatment Prednisolone on Postendodontic Pain: A Double-blind Parallel-randomized Clinical Trial

Introduction: Effective management of endodontic pain represents a continuing challenge. This study evaluates the use of a preoperative, single oral dose of prednisolone for the prevention and control of postendodontic pain. Methods: Forty patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups, placebo and prednisolone (30 mg). The medications were administered 30 minutes before the start of standard endodontic treatment. Postoperative pain was assessed after 6, 12, and 24 hours by using a visual analogue scale. Results: The outcome showed that prednisolone resulted in a statistically significant reduction in postendodontic pain at 6, 12, and 24 hours (P < .0001). No side effects were reported for any of the medications used. Conclusions: This study suggests that a preoperative, single oral dose of prednisolone substantially reduced postendodontic pain. Further studies are needed to evaluate the applicability of these findings to other clinical conditions, single-versus multiple-visit endodontic treatment, and drug regimens. (J Endod 2010;36:978-981)