Acetaminophen Versus Ibuprofen for the Control of Immediate and Delayed Pain Following Orthodontic Separator Placement

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to compare pain control effectiveness of preemptive and postoperative acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and placebo following orthodontic separator placement. Subjects were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: placebo, 650 mg acetaminophen, or 400 mg ibuprofen. The placebo or analgesic was taken 1 hour prior to separator placement and 6 hours thereafter. Pain on chewing, teeth touching and biting was recorded on Visual Analogue Scales at 6 time intervals over 24 hours. Pain increased immediately after separator placement, decreased at 2 hours, then increased with variation into the next day. While preemptive analgesic decreased initial pain levels, no similar benefit was found from the postoperative dose. Differences between the two analgesics were not statistically significant, and no more effective than the placebo. Preemptive acetaminophen and ibuprofen are equally effective in controlling early pain following separator placement.