Comparison of Postoperative Pain After Root Canal Treatment Using Hand-Held vs Rotary ProTaper Files: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial aims to compare postoperative pain after root canal treatment using two different types of ProTaper file systems: manual (hand-held) and rotary (engine-driven). A total of 186 participants aged 18-60 years with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (with or without symptomatic apical periodontitis) requiring primary root canal treatment on a single tooth will be enrolled. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: Group A will receive root canal instrumentation using ProTaper Manual files, and Group B will receive instrumentation using ProTaper Rotary files. Both groups will undergo a standardized single-visit root canal treatment protocol. Postoperative pain will be assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours, and 7 days after treatment. The study hypothesis is that there is no statistically significant difference in postoperative pain between the two instrumentation techniques. The findings will help clinicians choose the most appropriate instrumentation technique to minimize patient discomfort and improve treatment satisfaction