Multicenter clinical trial of ibuprofen and acetaminophen in the treatment of postoperative dental pain.
Pharmacological management of pain for acute and chronic conditions has been guided by a scientific understanding of peripheral and central acting mechanisms for the control of inflammation as well as pain. Oral surgery pain is a reliable model to reference the effectiveness of commonly used analgesics such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen. A total of 706 patients who were experiencing moderate to severe pain received a single dose of ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or placebo. After 6 hours, the degree of pain relief and tolerance was assessed. Ibuprofen has important implications for postoperative pain in clinical practice.
The information from the single trial in acute postoperative pain suggests it to be a useful analgesic, but at doses not very different from racemic ibuprofen.