Effect of pretreatment with ketorolac tromethamine on post-operative pain following periodontal surgery

A double-blind, randomized, single-dose clinical trial to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of preoperative ketorolac tromethamine administration on periodontal postoperative pain was designed. One group received 20 mg ketorolac immediately before periodontal flap surgery, and the other group received placebo. Naproxen sodium was allowed postoperatively as rescue medication. The visual analog scale was used to estimate pain. Postoperative pain was assessed hourly for the first 10 h on the day of surgery, and 4 x daily on the 1st and 2nd postsurgical days. Timing and dose of rescue analgesic remedication were also recorded. Results indicated that preoperative treatment with ketorolac significantly reduced initial pain intensity and delayed the onset of postoperative pain as compared to placebo. Incidence and amount of naproxen consumption was similarly small in both ketorolac- and placebo-treated groups. No adverse reactions related to preoperative medication were observed