Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Background: Apical surgery is a procedure performed to remove lesions around the apex of a tooth with the main aim of preserving it. Many factors can influence the outcome of periapical surgery. In this context, adequate bleeding control is essential for the success of periapical surgery, since it improves visualization of the surgical site, minimizes the operating time, and is a requirement for the insertion of most retrograde filling materials. It is known that an ideal hemostatic agent for endodontic microsurgery must have a quick hemostatic effect, must be easy to handle, should be biocompatible, and must not undermine natural bony crypt healing and the surrounding tissues. Aim of the study: To study usage of aluminum chloride for hemostasis in periapical surgery. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics of the Dental institution. A total of 120 patients who underwent periapical surgery at the Department of Endodontics were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups, Group A and Group B. For patients in group A, we used gauzes impregnated in anesthetic solution with vasoconstrictor. Whereas, for patients in group B, aluminum chloride was used for hemostasis. The pain scoring of the patients was done using horizontal visual analog scale (VAS), standardized to 100 mm. The observation for pain and swelling by the patients was recorded postoperatively at 2, 4, 6 and 12 hours, and every day for first 7 days after the surgical procedure. Results: We observed that pain in patients decreased considerably from 2 hours postoperatively to 7 days postoperatively in both groups. By the 7th day, the pain score for Group A was 0.2 and for Group B was 0.3.We observed that the swelling in patients increased postoperatively till 24 hours, however, started to clear up after that. By the 7th day, the VAS swelling score in Group A was 0.3 and in Group B was 0.8.Conclusion: Within the limitations of the present study, it can be concluded that anesthetic solution with vasoconstrictor and aluminum chloride are equally efficacious for hemostasis in periapical surgery. However, the postoperative swelling was more significantly observed in patients with aluminum chloride. Keywords: Periapical surgery, aluminum chloride, hemostasis, postoperative pain