Comparison of the effectiveness of pain control with two regimens of acetaminophen following uncomplicated intra-alveolar extraction: Olawole W.O1, Okoje V.N1, Ibikunle A.A2, Arotiba J.T1

Abstract

Abstract Paracetamol is a frequently prescribed drug for post-extraction pain control. However, the optimum regimen to be prescribed remains controversial. Thus, a need to determine the efficacy of commonly prescribed regimens arises. This study compared the effectiveness of post-extraction pain control using two regimens of paracetamol. Subjects were randomly distributed into two groups; subjects in group A had postoperative oral administration of acetaminophen 1\u202fg 2\u202fh after the extraction and then 1\u202fg every 8\u202fh for 24\u202fh, while subjects in group B had extended postoperative oral administration of acetaminophen. Thereafter, subjects recorded their postoperative pain experiences. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows version 20. Level of statistical significance was set at P\u202f \u202f0.05). Also, the type and number of teeth extracted exerted no statistically significant influence on pain experience (p\u202f>\u202f0.05). There was no significant difference between the effectiveness of post-extraction pain control using the two paracetamol regimens. Therefore, extended administration of paracetamol may be unwarranted.