Diflunisal, a new analgesic, in the treatment of postoperative pain following removal of impacted mandibular third molars

Abstract

Diflunisal, 5-(2', 4'-difluorophenyl) -salicylic acid, has been shown in animal and human studies to possess pronounced analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. The objective of the present investigation wa to compare the analgesic effect and safety of three doses of 500 mg diflunisal, given orally over 36 h, with placebo in the treatment of pain following surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars. A total of 60 patients, 30 patients in each treatment group, participated in this double-blind, completely randomized study. The treatment groups were compared for demographic data, disease-related variables and pretreatment severity of pain. According to both the investigator's and the patient's overall evaluation of treatment efficacy on postoperative pain, diflunisal was significantly better than placebo (P less than 0.0001). Clinical adverse reactions were reported by seven patients (25%) in the diflunisal group compared to three patients (11%) in the control group. In two instances the adverse reactions were rated by the investigator to have been "unacceptable". The overall conclusion of this study is that diflunisal, compared to placebo, is a highly effective and well-tolerated analgesic in the treatment of postoperative pain following surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars.