Effectiveness of tramadol as an analgesic in oral surgery

In a randomised, double-blind, cross-over trial, 15 healthy, young patients undergoing surgical removal of bilateral, impacted, third-molar teeth received the analgesic tramadol 50 mg, as a single dose, either 2 hours prior or immediately before the surgical procedure. There were no differences in the post-operative pain levels or degree of trismus between the two methods of administration of tramadol (P > 0.05), suggesting absence of any pre-emptive analgesic effect for the drug in the dose studied. The prevalence of unwanted side effects such as nausea (37 percent) was high within the first 24 hours.