Effectiveness of nicotine patch for the control of pain, oedema, and trismus following third molar surgery: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a nicotine patch for the control of pain, oedema, and trismus following lower third molar surgery. A prospective, randomized, triple-blind, split-mouth trial was performed involving 20 patients who underwent two surgical procedures at different times. A patch containing 14mg nicotine was used in the experimental group, whereas a patch without nicotine (placebo) was used in the control group. The nicotine patch was effective at controlling pain after 4hours and 8hours (P= 0.023 and P= 0.005, respectively). The nicotine patch also had a significant effect on the control of oedema at 24 hours (P= 0.002), 48 hours (P= 0.001), and 72 hours (P= 0.005) following the intervention. Postoperative mouth opening was significantly greater among the patients who received the nicotine patch after 72 hours and 7 days. The number of rescue analgesics required was lower (P= 0.026) and the level of satisfaction was significantly higher (P= 0.008) when the patch was used, although higher levels of nausea were found in the nicotine group (P= 0.031 at 30 minutes, P= 0.008 at 4 hours). The nicotine patch was effective at controlling pain, oedema, and trismus following third molar surgery.