The efficacy of pain control following nonsurgical root canal treatment using ibuprofen or a combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

AIM To compare ibuprofen, to an ibuprofen/acetaminophen combination in managing postoperative pain following root canal treatment. It is hypothesized that the drug combination will provide more postoperative pain relief than the placebo or ibuprofen alone. METHODOLOGY Patients presenting at the Texas A&M Baylor College of Dentistry's graduate endodontic clinic, experiencing moderate to severe pain, were considered potential candidates. Fifty-seven patients were included based on established criteria. Following administration of local anaesthesia, a pulpectomy was performed. The patients were administered a single dose of either: (i) placebo; (ii) 600 mg ibuprofen; or (iii) 600 mg ibuprofen and 1000 mg of acetaminophen. Patients recorded pain intensity following treatment on a visual analogue scale and a baseline four-point category pain scale as well as pain relief every hour for the first 4 h then every 2 h thereafter for a total of 8 h. A general linear model (GLM) analysis was used to analyse the outcome. RESULTS Based upon the GLM analysis, there was a significant difference between the ibuprofen and the combination drug group, and between placebo and combination drug groups. There was no significant difference between the placebo and the ibuprofen. CONCLUSION The results demonstrate that the combination of ibuprofen with acetaminophen may be more effective than ibuprofen alone for the management of postoperative endodontic pain.