Administering ibuprofen before and after separator placement more effectively reduced postplacement pain compared with other analgesics and a placebo, according to a new study in the American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics (January 2011, Vol. 139:1, pp. e53-e58).
In the University of Florida study, 24 subjects were given three of four treatments -- ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, acetaminophen, or placebo -- in random order at monthly intervals. The dosing times were one hour before separator placement and three and seven hours after.
Before placement, the subjects completed a masticatory efficiency test and a visual analog scale (VAS) for expected pain and pain experienced. In addition, a VAS pain diary was kept for 24 hours. Subjects returned to the clinic after one week for separator removal.
The researchers found that VAS pain summary scores after separator placement were significantly affected by the administration of ibuprofen (p = 0.0298) and the time after separator placement (p < 0.0001). The analgesic effects diminished by day 2, resulting in peak pain levels and decreased chewing efficiency.
"Ibuprofen was superior to the placebo in relieving postseparator pain as measured by the VAS pain summary scores, whereas acetaminophen and naproxen sodium did not significantly differ from the placebo," the researchers concluded..
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