An interesting study titled “Comparative Effect of Celecoxib, Diclofenac, and Ibuprofen in Controlling Postoperative Pain, Edema, and Trismus After Third Molar Extraction: A Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial” written by L. Bassyoni on February 06, 2024 appears in Cureus 16, no. 2, e53687. The study sought to compare celecoxib, diclofenac, and ibuprofen for managing postoperative pain, swelling, and mouth opening ability (trismus) after wisdom teeth surgery.
The study included participants recruited from the oral and maxillofacial surgery specialty clinics at King Abdul-Aziz University Dental Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Only one impacted lower wisdom tooth was extracted at the time of surgery. The study was a double-blinded randomized controlled trial which meant that study participants were randomly assigned to one of the three medication groups and neither they nor the researchers the medications received. The study was rather small and only had 90 participants.
The findings of the study are as follows:
Diclofenac was the most effective for pain control, especially within the first 3 days after surgery. Diclofenac delivered stronger relief than the other two medications in the study. Celecoxib came in second, offering better pain management than ibuprofen, but not quite as powerful as diclofenac. The study found that swelling and jaw-opening limitations didn’t show significant differences between the three groups.
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I’s important to consider that individual responses to medications can vary, and discussing your situtation with a healthcare professional is crucial for determining the most suitable option. The study did not assess any potential side effects of the medications. Futer more tehe study participants were only followed for 7 days after wisdom teeth surgery so any long term side effects are unknown.
The author states:
“The results of this study showed that celecoxib pain management post-third molar extraction is comparable to that of diclofenac and superior to that of ibuprofen. Given the superior safety profile and tolerability of celecoxib, we suggest that celecoxib could be considered an option in third molar surgeries. However, this recommendation should be applied more carefully to patients with cardiac diseases.”
The author cautions that the results of the study may not apply to everyone and that future larger multi-center studies are warranted to validate the study findings.