Comparison of the analgesic efficacy of concurrent ibuprofen and paracetamol with ibuprofen or paracetamol alone in the management of moderate to severe acute postoperative dental pain in adolescents and adults: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, single-dose, two-center, modified factorial study.

BACKGROUND: Combination analgesics may offer improved analgesic efficacy, particularly for moderate to severe pain. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the analgesic benefits of concurrent ibuprofen and paracetamol compared with each drug used alone in the management of acute postoperative dental pain. METHODS: Healthy patients aged 16 to 40 years undergoing surgical removal of 3 to 4 impacted molars (total impaction score > or = 9) were enrolled in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, single-dose, 2-center, modified factorial US study. Patients were randomly assigned in a ratio of 2:1:2:1:1 to ibuprofen 400 mg/paracetamol 1000 mg, ibuprofen 200 mg/paracetamol 500 mg, ibuprofen 400 mg, paracetamol 1000 mg, or placebo when postoperative pain reached moderate to severe intensity. The primary efficacy end point was the sum of pain relief and pain intensity differences from 0 to 8 hours (SPRID8). Several secondary end points were also measured, including total pain relief (TOTPAR), sum of pain intensity differences (SPID), and SPID on the visual analog scale (SPID VAS) at various time points. Other analgesic efficacy measures included peak effect, onset and duration of effect, and patients' overall assessment of treatment. The tolerability of study medications was assessed in terms of the frequency and nature of adverse events, which were assessed with standard questions, as well as changes from baseline in vital signs. RESULTS: A total of 234 patients were randomly assigned to treatment and included in the intent-to- treat population. The patients were predominantly female (74.4% [174/234]) and white (76.5% [179/234]); mean (SD) age was 20.8 (3.1) years and weight was 69.1 (16.5) kg. For SPRID8, the group treated with ibuprofen 400 mg/paracetamol 1000 mg had significantly better mean scores compared with ibuprofen alone (P < 0.001), paracetamol alone (P < 0.001), and ibuprofen 200 mg/paracetamol 500 mg (P = 0.02). The group taking ibuprofen 200 mg/paracetamol 500 mg achieved significantly better mean SPRID8 scores than paracetamol alone (P = 0.03), but not ibuprofen alone (P = NS). Ibuprofen 400 mg/paracetamol 1000 mg was associated with significantly better scores than was single-agent therapy for TOTPAR, SPID, and SPID VAS at all time intervals and for SPRID from 4 to 6 hours (all, P < 0.001). Pairwise comparisons found statistically significant differences in favor of all active treatments versus placebo for virtually all efficacy end points, thereby supporting assay sensitivity. Adverse events were similar across treatments; the most frequent were nausea (26.1% [61/234]), vomiting (18.8% [44/234]), headache (10.3% [24/234]), and dizziness (8.1% [19/234]). CONCLUSION: Concurrent ibuprofen and paracetamol appeared to provide significantly better analgesic efficacy compared with ibuprofen or paracetamol alone for acute postoperative dental pain in these adolescents and adults.

A single-tablet fixed-dose combination of racemic ibuprofen/paracetamol in the management of moderate to severe postoperative dental pain in adult and adolescent patients: a multicenter, two-stage, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, factorial study.

BACKGROUND: The combination of ibuprofen and paracetamol may confer analgesic benefits over monotherapy with either agent. In a previous study, an ibuprofen/paracetamol combination provided significantly better analgesic efficacy than comparable doses of ibuprofen or paracetamol alone in patients experiencing moderate to severe acute postoperative pain after extraction of impacted third molars. OBJECTIVE: This study compared the efficacy and tolerability of 3 doses of a single-tablet fixed-dose combination (FDC) of ibuprofen and paracetamol (ibuprofen/paracetamol doses of 100 mg/250 mg, 200 mg/500 mg, and 400 mg/1000 mg) with comparable doses of ibuprofen (200 or 400 mg) monotherapy, paracetamol (500 or 1000 mg) monotherapy, and placebo in the 8 hours after surgical removal of 3 to 4 impacted third molars (stage 1) and with placebo over the next 72 hours (stage 2). METHODS: This was a multicenter, 2-stage, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, factorial study. Male or female outpatients were eligible for the study if they were aged >or=16 years, were referred for surgical removal of at least 3 impacted third molars (2 of which had to be mandibular impacted molars), and gave written informed consent. In stage 1, patients were randomly assigned to ibuprofen 200 mg, ibuprofen 400 mg, paracetamol 500 mg, paracetamol 1000 mg, FDC ibuprofen 100 mg/paracetamol 250 mg, FDC ibuprofen 200 mg/paracetamol 500 mg, FDC ibuprofen 400 mg/paracetamol 1000 mg, or placebo. In stage 2, patients who had been taking FDC therapy or placebo continued the same treatment, whereas those taking monotherapy received FDC therapy, incorporating the same dose of active monotherapy from stage 1. First-line rescue medication (hydrocodone 7.5 mg and paracetamol 500 mg) was available at any time after dosing; however, in stage 1, any patient who required rescue medication within 60 minutes of receipt of study medication was considered a "dropout" from therapy, and, in stage 2, patients who required >2 doses of first-line rescue medication in a 24-hour period were considered treatment failures. In stage 1, the primary efficacy end points were the sum of pain relief and pain intensity differences over an 8-hour follow-up period (SPRID8) and the pain relief and pain intensity difference scores at each time point (15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300, 360, 420, and 480 minutes after dosing). Several secondary variables were also measured, including the patient's global assessment of the study medication. The 2-stopwatch method was used for measures of perceptible and meaningful pain relief. In stage 2, the primary efficacy end point was the number of completed 24-hour periods (as 0, 1, 2, or 3) in which the patient required no more than one dose of rescue medication and rated the treatment as "good," "very good," or "excellent." The tolerability of study medications was assessed in relation to the frequency, nature, and severity of adverse events (AEs), as well as their relationship to study medication; vital signs were also measured. AEs were assessed at 8 hours after dosing in stage 1, at 72 hours after dosing in stage 2, and at the follow-up visit (7-10 days after surgery); in addition, patients were instructed to report any AE that occurred between scheduled assessments. RESULTS: Of 735 patients randomly assigned in stage 1, a total of 715 (97.3%) entered and 678 (92.2%) completed stage 2. Most patients were female (62.6% [460/735]) and white (91.3% [671/735]); the mean (SD) age was 20.3 (3.5) years and the mean weight was 69.7 (15.7) kg. The mean total impaction score was 11.1 (1.4), and the mean baseline pain score on the visual analog scale was 76.9 (12.0). Overall, 422 of 735 patients (57.4%) reported severe pain at baseline and 313 of 735 (42.6%) reported moderate pain. For the primary efficacy end point (SPRID8), FDC ibuprofen 400 mg/paracetamol 1000 mg was significantly more effective than ibuprofen 400 mg (P = 0.02) and paracetamol 1000 mg (P < 0.001) in the immediate postoperative period (stage 1), and FDC ibuprofen 200 mg/paracetamol 500 mg was significantly more effective than ibuprofen 200 mg (P < 0.001) and paracetamol 500 mg (P < 0.001). The FDC ibuprofen 200 mg/paracetamol 500 mg was also significantly more effective than paracetamol 1000 mg (P < 0.001), but failed to reach statistical significance in comparison with ibuprofen 400 mg. Continued postoperative therapy with all 3 FDCs on an as-needed basis was significantly more effective than placebo during the subsequent 72 hours (all, P < 0.001). During stage 1, rescue medication was required by 53 of 73 (72.6%), 29 of 75 (38.7%), 21 of 74 (28.4%), 56 of 76 (73.7%), and 51 of 74 (68.9%) patients in the placebo group and the ibuprofen 200-mg, ibuprofen 400-mg, paracetamol 500-mg, and paracetamol 1000-mg treatment groups, respectively. In the FDC treatment groups, the need for rescue medication included 27 of 71 (38.0%), 40 of 143 (28.0%), and 32 of 149 (21.5%) patients in the ibuprofen 100-mg/paracetamol 250-mg, ibuprofen 200-mg/paracetamol 500-mg, and ibuprofen 400-mg/paracetamol 1000-mg groups, respectively. The rates of treatment-related AEs between the first and second doses of study medication were significantly lower for FDC ibuprofen 400 mg/paracetamol 1000 mg (8/149 patients [5.4%]) than for placebo (14/73 [19.2%]; P < 0.01) and paracetamol 1000 mg (10/74 [13.5%]; P < 0.05); and also lower for FDC ibuprofen 200 mg/paracetamol 500 mg (9/143 [6.3%]) compared with ibuprofen 200 mg (12/75 [16.0%]; P < 0.05) and paracetamol 500 mg (17/76 [22.4%]; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: FDC ibuprofen 200 mg/paracetamol 500 mg and ibuprofen 400 mg/paracetamol 1000 mg were significantly more effective in this population than were comparable doses of ibuprofen or paracetamol alone in moderate to severe acute dental pain and were significantly more effective than placebo in providing sustained pain relief.

Intranasal ketorolac for pain secondary to third molar impaction surgery: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

PURPOSE: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the efficacy and safety of intranasal (IN) ketorolac in patients who had third molar extraction surgery with bony impactions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After surgery, patients were randomly assigned to receive IN ketorolac 31.5 mg (n = 40) or IN placebo (n = 40). Safety was assessed from spontaneously reported adverse events and measurement of vital signs. Efficacy assessments included pain intensity, which was measured on a 0- to 100-mm visual analog scale, total pain relief, and global pain evaluation up to 8 hours after dosing or until patients required rescue analgesia. The primary efficacy variable was the summed pain intensity difference score over the first 8 hours after dosing. RESULTS: Summed pain intensity difference values +/- SE were significantly higher (indicating better analgesia) in the ketorolac group compared with placebo (136.7 +/- 33.0 vs -105.2 +/- 29.1, P < .001). Total pain relief scores were significantly higher (P < .001) in the ketorolac group compared with placebo at all times. A larger proportion of subjects in the ketorolac group reported good, very good, or excellent pain control compared with the control group (60% vs 13%). Times to perceptible (21.5 minutes) and meaningful (66.0 minutes) pain relief were significantly shorter and the time to rescue analgesic use was significantly longer in the ketorolac group (P < .001). Eight patients in the placebo group and 3 in the ketorolac group had adverse events, none of which was serious. The 3 events in the ketorolac group were reports of mild headache. CONCLUSION: A single IN ketorolac 31.5 mg dose was well tolerated and provided rapid and effective pain relief in oral surgery patients for a period up to 8 hours.

The time to onset and overall analgesic efficacy of rofecoxib 50 mg: a meta-analysis of 13 randomized clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the time to onset of analgesia of rofecoxib based on a patient-level meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled, postoperative oral surgery pain studies. METHODS: A search on MEDLINE and of Merck data on file was conducted to identify studies that met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis inclusion criteria required that patients were treated with a single oral dose of rofecoxib 50 mg when they experienced moderate or severe pain after surgical extraction of > or = 2 third molars; study design involved patient randomization, double-blinding, and matching placebo, and onset data from individual patients were available. The meta-analysis of time to onset also required that studies used the two-stopwatch method. Eleven studies fulfilled the onset criteria and included patients who received a single dose of rofecoxib 50 mg (N = 1220) or placebo (N = 483). These studies were analyzed to determine time to onset of analgesia, time to perceptible pain relief, percentage of patients achieving onset of analgesia, and duration of analgesia. Six of the 11 studies included a nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (N = 303) and were included in the onset meta-analysis for comparison. The meta-analysis of overall efficacy also required that data on total pain relief scores over 8 hours were available. Over-all effectiveness of analgesia was based on analysis of 13 studies involving 1330 rofecoxib patients and 570 placebo patients on the endpoints of total pain relief scores over 8 hours and patient global assessment of response to therapy at 24 hours. Eight of the 13 studies with a nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug comparator (N = 391) were included for the efficacy meta-analysis. RESULTS: Patient demographics and baseline characteristics were similar across treatment groups in each study. Median time to onset of analgesia for rofecoxib was 34 minutes (95% CI, 31-38 minutes), significantly faster than placebo, which did not achieve onset within the 4 hours the assessment was conducted (P < 0.001). Duration of analgesia for rofecoxib 50 mg was > 24 hours. Rofecoxib achieved a greater mean total pain relief score over 8 hours than placebo (17.4 versus 4.4; P < 0.001) and a greater patient response rate on patient global assessment of response to therapy at 24 hours than placebo (73% versus 16%; P < 0.001). Outcomes were similar between the rofecoxib group and the nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug group. CONCLUSION: In this meta-analysis of over 1200 rofecoxib-treated patients, a single dose of rofecoxib 50 mg demonstrated a rapid onset of analgesia in approximately half an hour combined with sustained effectiveness, supporting its use as a treatment of acute pain.

Single doses of parecoxib sodium intravenously are as effective as ketorolac in reducing pain after oral surgery.

PURPOSE: Our goal was to compare the analgesic efficacy and safety of single doses of intravenous parecoxib sodium, a prodrug of the novel cyclooxygenase (COX)-2-selective inhibitor valdecoxib, with intravenous ketorolac and placebo in postoperative oral surgery patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients experiencing moderate to severe pain within 6 hours of surgery to extract 2 or more impacted third molars were randomized to receive a single dose of parecoxib sodium 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, or 100 mg; ketorolac 30 mg; or placebo. Analgesic efficacy was assessed over a 24-hour treatment period or until rescue analgesia was required. RESULTS: Parecoxib sodium doses (particularly 50 and 100 mg) had a rapid onset of analgesia (within 11 minutes). The analgesic efficacy of parecoxib sodium 20 to 100 mg was similar to that of ketorolac 30 mg. Parecoxib sodium doses below 20 mg had suboptimal analgesic activity compared with placebo and ketorolac. A plateau of efficacy was observed at the parecoxib sodium 50-mg dose. Parecoxib sodium 50 and 100 mg had a significantly longer duration of analgesia than ketorolac 30 mg. All doses of parecoxib sodium were well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Parecoxib sodium, a novel parenteral prodrug of the COX-2-selective inhibitor valdecoxib, is as effective and longer acting at 50- and 100-mg intravenous doses than a standard dose of ketorolac 30 mg intravenously. Parecoxib sodium appears to be safe and well tolerated and, therefore, merits further evaluation in other models of postsurgical pain.

Analgesia with ibuprofen arginate versus conventional ibuprofen for patients with dysmenorrhea: a crossover trial.

BACKGROUND: Dysmenorrhea produces painful abdominal cramps that can disrupt the personal lives and productivity of women. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the analgesic efficacy, including onset and duration of pain relief, peak effect, and total effect, and tolerability of ibuprofen arginate with those of conventional ibuprofen in patients with moderate to severe pain associated with primary dysmenorrhea. METHODS: Patients were administered a single dose of ibuprofen arginate (200 or 400 mg), conventional ibuprofen (200 or 400 mg), or placebo during each of 5 menstrual cycles in a single-center, double-blind, randomized, double-dummy, 5-cycle, crossover study. Patients recorded their pain intensity and pain relief at regularly scheduled intervals (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 90 minutes and 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 hours) after taking the study medication, and all study observations were recorded in a patient diary. Pain intensity was rated using the following 4-point categoric rating scale: 0 = none, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, and 3 = severe. Pain relief was rated on a 5-point scale as 0 = none, 1 = a little, 2 = some, 3 = a lot, and 4 = complete relief. Tolerability of ibuprofen arginate was based on a comparison of the incidence of spontaneously reported adverse events in each of the treatment groups. RESULTS: One hundred four patients entered the study. Of these, 81.7% were white; the mean (SD) age was 27.5 (5.0) years. A total of 65.4% of patients reported moderate pain from dysmenorrhea, and the remaining 34.6% reported severe pain; 20.2% of patients did not complete the study. The median time to achieve meaningful pain relief was ∼30 minutes faster with ibuprofen arginate 400 mg than with either dose of conventional ibuprofen. Tolerability was similar across all treatments. CONCLUSIONS: In this study population of patients experiencing acute pain as a result of primary dysmenorrhea, ibuprofen arginate was associated with effective, tolerable analgesia and a more rapid onset of action than conventional ibuprofen. The faster onset of analgesia may have a role in clinical practice in treating women with dysmenorrhea. A faster onset of action may be important to women whose personal relationships, productivity, or ability to sleep is being adversely affected by pain.

A controlled comparative study of ibuprofen arginate versus conventional ibuprofen in the treatment of postoperative dental pain.

The analgesic efficacy of an arginine salt of ibuprofen was compared to one of the commercially available forms of conventional ibuprofen in a 500-patient clinical trial in postoperative dental pain. Patients were administered a single dose of ibuprofen arginate (200 mg or 400 mg), conventional ibuprofen (200 mg or 400 mg), orplacebo in this double-blind, randomized, parallel-group trial. Results demonstrated that ibuprofen arginate was a safe and effective analgesia that was superior to conventional ibuprofen in both the amount of pain relief achieved and the time to onset of pain relief. Onset of analgesia, assessed as the median amount of time to achieve meaningful pain relief, was reached after 32 and 31 minutes with ibuprofen arginate 200 and 400 mg, respectively, and 64 and 58 minutes with conventional ibuprofen 200 and 400 mg, respectively (p < 0.05). Patients treated with ibuprofen arginate rated its overall effectiveness higher than those patients treated with conventional ibuprofen. Adverse event profiles were similar across all treatment groups.

The efficacy of combination analgesic therapy in relieving dental pain.

BACKGROUND: An experience of poorly managed pain related to dental treatment can lead patients to avoid or postpone treatment. The development of new pain management strategies equips dental clinicians with additional treatment options that can provide more effective pain relief LITERATURE REVIEWED: The author reviewed dental and medical literature dealing with the safety, efficacy and mechanisms of action of common analgesic treatments. CONCLUSIONS: For the treatment of mild to moderate pain, acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, continue to be the most appropriate options. The use of cyclo-oxygenase2-inhibitor NSAIDs should be strongly considered for use with patients at risk of experiencing gastrointestinal toxicity. The pathophysiology of pain is a complex central and peripheral nervous system process, and the use of combination analgesics that act at multiple pain sites can improve pain relief after a dental procedure. For moderate to moderately severe pain, tramadol or combination medications such as tramadol with acetaminophen or codeine with acetaminophen are appropriate. For severe pain, use of opioids or opioid combinations is advised. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Providing appropriate treatment after dental surgery requires a careful medical history and an educated anticipation of the level of pain the patient may encounter. New analgesic options are available and should be considered, particularly combination analgesics, which can provide faster onset and prolonged duration of action and can combat pain at multiple sites of action.