Efficacy of ibuprofen versus meloxicam in post-surgical pain control after lower third molar surgery

Abstract

Post-surgical pain is a direct consequence of the surgical event, being closely related to inflammation after treatment, both manifesting itself in parallel. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been considered the analgesic therapy of choice. Objective: To compare the analgesic effectiveness of ibuprofen against meloxicam after surgical intervention to remove the lower third molar. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 patients were assigned to the two treatment groups: 15 from to ibuprofen group and 15 to the meloxicam group. The first dose was administered at the end of the surgery and the necessary tablets were given to complete the 3-day drug treatment regimen, as well as 1 sublingual ketorolac tablet as rescue medication. Postoperative pain reduction was evaluated making phone calls to evaluate pain by using the numerical scale of pain at 24, 48, 72 hours and 7 days postoperatively. Results: Meloxicam is more effective over time, showing stable analgesic levels and less pain than the ones in ibuprofen group. However, its maximum effect takes longer, which explains that some patients required rescue medication in the first postoperative hours. Conclusions: Due to its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effect, we can consider meloxicam as a good alternative in postoperative pharmacological treatment. It is suggested the use of some other drug that achieves pharmacological synergy to optimize results or to use meloxicam based on preventive analgesia models.