Anti-inflammatory and analgetic effects of indomethacin following removal of impacted mandibular third molars

Abstract

In a double-blind, clinical study, the analgetic and anti-inflammatory effects of indomethacin (Indocid) were evaluated following removal of impacted or semi-impacted mandibular third molars in 50 patients. Regarding analgetic effectiveness, 84% of the patients reported good or excellent relief from pain after administration of 50 mg of indomethacin three times a day for 2 days. The analgetic effect of indomethacin was significantly better than that of placebo. There was no significant difference in anti-inflammatory effectiveness between indomethacin and placebo. The degree of trismus postoperatively was significantly less in the indomethacin group. Due to a rather high incidence of side effects (28%) in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract, the routine use of indomethacin in oral surgery is not recommended.