Relief of dental surgery pain: a controlled 12-hour comparison of etodolac, aspirin, and placebo

Abstract

Single doses of the study drugs were evaluated for 12 hours by 201 out-patients reporting moderate or severe pain following oral surgery. The results of this double-blind study indicated that 50, 100, and 200 mg of etodolac as well as 650 mg of aspirin were significantly more effective than placebo. A dose-response relationship was found for the three doses of etodolac, which was significant for summed pain relief scores for up to 8 hours. In terms of total analgesic effect, etodolac 200 mg was significantly superior to placebo for 8 hours, while aspirin and the two lower doses of etodolac were similarly effective in the range of 3-6 hours postdrug. All doses showed a favorable onset of analgesia (½-1 hour). Etodolac 200 mg resulted in a duration of action which was approximately twice as long as aspirin's and also produced a peak pain relief which was significantly greater than the lower doses of etodolac and aspirin. All study medications were well tolerated with no reports of significant adverse side effects. No dose-related effects were observed with etodolac