A randomized double blind controlled trial comparing Ibuprofen versus Ibuprofen plus Acetaminophen plus Caffeine for pain control after impacted third molar surgery

Abstract

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Ibupro- fen alleviate mild to moderate postoperative pain caused by the third molar extractions. Moreover, Acetaminophen is a non-opioid analgesic with anti-pyretic properties, effective in relieving mild to moderate pain. On the other hand, recent studies have demonstrated that Caffeine also acts as an analgesic adjuvant when combined with Acetaminophen, Aspirin, or their mixture. The objective of study is to compare the efficacy of a combination of Ibuprofen 200 mg and Acetaminophen 325 mg plus Caffeine 40 mg with Ibuprofen 400 mg alone for relieving the pain after surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molar. 80 adult patients (56 females, 24 males) were randomly placed into two groups. Preoperative pain recorded prior to the surgery and compare with patients’ pain after the operation. According to findings, there was no significant relationship between preoperative and postoperative pain (P value > 0.05) and also between surgical trauma and postoperative pain (P value > 0.05). The mean pain showed a slight numerical superiority for the group which used Ibu-profen plus Acetaminophen plus Caffeine especially 3hours after surgery, but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P value = 0.073). In conclusion, combination of Ibuprofen plus aceta-minophen plus caffeine does not offer any clinical advantages compared with Ibuprofen for alleviating acute postoperative pain after third molar surgeries.