Effect of incision and flap reflection on postoperative pain after the removal of partially impacted mandibular third molars

A clinical trial was carried out to evaluate the influence of incision and reflection of a flap on pain after the removal of partially erupted mandibular third molars. A sequential design for intraindividual comparisons was chosen. The patients underwent bilateral extraction of partially impacted mandibular third molars with a standard incision on one side (control) and without incision (test) on the other side. One week postoperatively, the patients were asked on which side they had experienced more postoperative pain. The preset level of significance (P .05) was reached after 11 patients were treated. Eight patients had more severe pain on the control side, while three patients did not experience any difference in pain between the two sides. The nonsurgical approach did not increase the chair time and appeared to be an effective way of reducing postoperative discomfort after extraction of partially erupted third molars.