Post-Operative Dental Pain Study

• Studies

POPS: 2021–2025 Study on Post-Operative Pain and mHealth Usability

From August 2021 to September 2025, the Network conducted the Post-Operative Pain Study (POPS), led by Dr. Muhammad Walji of UTHealth Houston, to better understand patients’ experiences following dental procedures and evaluate strategies for improving post-operative care. The study was implemented across all six Network regions and engaged 2,674 patients from 144 dental practices nationwide.

Study Goals

The POPS study was designed to:

• Assess patients’ post-operative pain experiences over time.
• Evaluate the pain management strategies used by patients and providers.
• Measure the acceptance and usability of a mobile health (mHealth) platform, FollowApp.

Recruitment Targets

The study aimed to recruit:

• 144 practitioners across the Network.
• Up to 30 patients per practitioner, with a total patient recruitment goal of 3,147.

Practitioner and Patient Activities

Practitioners who participated in the study

• Registered eligible patients into the FollowApp mHealth platform.
• Received alerts when patients reported symptoms above a certain threshold.
• Used real-time feedback to adjust pain management strategies and schedule follow-up visits when needed.
• Participated in interviews to share their experiences and suggest improvements to the platform.

Patients who participated

• Received surveys via text message for 21 days following their dental procedure.
• Reported pain levels, medication use, and interference with daily activities such as eating, speaking, and sleeping.
• Used a chat feature to communicate directly with their dental provider.
• Provided feedback on the usability of the FollowApp platform.

These activities helped the Network gather rich data on post-operative pain and demonstrated the potential of digital tools to enhance patient-provider communication and care.

Key Findings

• Pain Experience:
  • Pain levels generally declined over time for most procedures.
  • Implants and periodontal surgeries showed a slight increase in pain on Day 1, followed by a drop to below 1 by Day 7.
  • Endodontic procedures began with higher pre-op pain but showed a sharp decline by Day 1, with pain levels under 1 by Day 5.
• Medication Use:
  • 15.8% of patients did not take any pain medication post-operatively.
  • 10.1% used opioids, while 77.6% used non-opioid medications.
• Pain Interference:
  • Moderate to severe interference was most common with eating and speaking, especially after surgical extractions and implants.
  • Endodontic treatments and simple extractions were associated with minimal interference.
• Patient Satisfaction:
  • Patients reported high satisfaction with their pain treatment (mean score: 8.88/10) and felt involved in decision-making (mean score: 8.36/10).
• mHealth Platform Usability:
  • FollowApp received an excellent System Usability Score of 90.2, indicating strong acceptance and ease of use.
  • Practitioners appreciated the platform’s ability to provide real-time feedback, reduce follow-up burden, and enhance patient engagement.
• Prediction Accuracy:
  • Dentists tended to overestimate Day 1 pain (mean predicted: 4.5 vs actual: 2.2).
  • Only 25% of predictions were accurate; 55% overpredicted.
  • Pain predictions for Days 7–21 were more accurate, with a mean difference of just 0.23 points.

Practice Impact

Practitioners reported that the mHealth platform helped them monitor recovery more effectively, personalize care, and adjust pain management strategies. Suggestions for future improvements included integration with EHR systems, AI-powered messaging, and customizable follow-up durations.

POPS Results Webinar from September 12, 2025

POPS Results Webinar from September 12, 2025

POPS Study Updates Webinar from November 10, 2023

In this webinar, Dr. Walji, the POPS principal investigator; Dr. Tungare, Postdoctoral Research Fellow; and Dr. Alan Law, a practicing endodontist and POPS study practitioner review details of how actively tracking post-operative symptoms can help to promptly identify patients with sub-optimal pain experiences and offer providers an opportunity to intervene and practice person-centered care. Our panelists presented preliminary results from the POPS study and answered questions from the audience.

POPS Webinar from March 3, 2023

Dr. Walji shared with us the advantages of using mHealth to monitor pain after dental procedures. He also explained the POPS study procedures, and updated us on the progress of the study. Dr. White highlighted the benefits of participating in the POPS study and shared the positive testimonials of practitioners who are participating in the study.  Drs. Muhammad and White were joined by Dr. Brad Rindal, our Midwest Network Director, for a panel discussion, answering questions from the audience.

WHAT DENTISTS ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS STUDY 

Dr. David Yu from Periodontal Surgical Arts, Austin, TX, joined the study. As a network member from the Southwest node, Dr. Yu was trained by node coordinator Clarisse Truong in May, and enrolled 21 participants in only 7 weeks! Listen to his experience doing the study.

Dr. Crowley from Double Oak Mountain Family Dentistry, Birmingham, AL, joined the POPS study. As a network member from the South Central Node, she was trained by node coordinator Patrice Harris in June and enrolled all 30 participants already! Listen to her experience doing the study.