Vogel, R. I. Desjardins, P. J., Major, K. V. O., Comparison of Presurgical and Immediate Postsurgical Ibuprofen on Postoperative Periodontal Pain. J. Periodontol 1992;63:914

Sixty patients having periodontal surgery placed in three treatment groups.

• Group 1 got ibuprofen 600 mg 5 to 10 minutes prior to local anesthetic, and a placebo immediately after the surgery.
• Group 2 got placebo 5 to 10 minutes prior to local anesthesia, and ibuprofen 600 mg immediately after surgery.
• Group 3 got placebo 5 to 10 minutes prior to local anesthesia, and placebo immediately after periodontal surgery.

Patients completed a pain diary beginning one hour after surgery and ending at 8 hours.

At one hour after surgery all three groups were similar, with pain being either absent or slight. Placebo group then had a significant increase in postsurgical pain increasing up to 5 hours. The group using ibuprofen presurgically had no increase in pain intensity from 1 to 5 hours, but then had some increase in pain. The group using ibuprofen postsurgically had no significant increase in pain for the entire 8 hour period.

3 patients in the postsurgical Ibupropen group reported a doubling of initial pain compared to 8 subjects in the presurgical ibuprofen group and 8 subjects in the placebo group. Half of the placebo group gave an evaluation of excellent or very good for the control of their postoperative pain.

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