Analgesic efficacy of flurbiprofen as compared to acetaminophen and placebo after periodontal surgery

Abstract

The purpose of the present investigation was to compare the analgesic efficacy of flurbiprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which is a phenyl propionic acid derivative, with acetaminophen and placebo in 63 adult outpatients with moderate to severe dental pain following periodontal surgery. After surgery was completed under local anesthesia, the patients received under double-blind conditions an envelope containing four tablets of either flurbiprofen 100 mg, acetaminophen 500 mg, or placebo and they were instructed to take one tablet every 6 hours when postoperative pain reached moderate to severe intensity. To determine analgesic efficacy and patients recorded pain intensity on a scale of 0 to 3. Patients were allowed to remedicate after 1 hour if pain was not reduced. Flurbiprofen was shown to possess an adequate analgesic effect superior to either placebo (P less than 0.005) or acetaminophen (P less than 0.01) in the parameters studied. Our results seem to further support earlier data obtained with the drug in dental patients with postoperative pain after the surgical removal of impacted third molars; therefore, it is concluded that flurbiprofen used as directed is a new alternative for the proper treatment of pain following periodontal surgery.