Regression Analysis Examining Postoperative Pain Following the Extraction of Wisdom Teeth under General Anesthesia : A Retrospective Study

Abstract

  General anesthesia can effectively suppress stress and pain during invasive surgery through the use of opioids in addition to local anesthetics, potentially reducing post-operative requirements for analgesics. This study aimed to elucidate factors influencing post-operative pain after tooth extraction under general anesthesia.

  The anesthesia records of patients undergoing wisdom tooth extraction under general anesthesia at Showa University Dental Hospital between March 2020 and August 2020 were reviewed. We statistically analyzed the factors contributing to a need for post-operative analgesics.

  Seventy-four cases met the inclusion criteria. The amount of local anesthetic and the number of extracted teeth were significantly related to postoperative pain during the early postoperative period (odds ratios : 3.0020, p=0.0122 and 0.6115, p=0.0009, respectively). An additional dosage of local anesthetic, the duration of the surgery, and the amount of narcotic analgesic had no significant impact on the need for postoperative analgesia.

  The present study suggests that intra-operative local anesthesia contributes to the suppression of early postoperative pain even under general anesthesia using opioids. Since the dosage of intra-operative opioids did not vary, our study could not examine the effect of opioid use on post-operative requirements for analgesia. Further study is needed to examine the effect of opioid dosage on postoperative pain.

  In conclusion, this study demonstrated that intra-operative local anesthesia has a pre-emptive analgesic effect and reduces post-operative analgesic requirements for tooth extraction under general anesthesia.