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.