Intra-muscular ketorolac administered as a supplemental analgesic for removal of impacted third molar teeth: a...

Post-operative pain follows dentalveolar oral surgery. Ketorolac is a potent non-steroidal analgesic with moderate anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of this study was to test whether a single supplementary dose of ketorolac reduced post-operative pain experienced by patients having third molar teeth removed.

A prospective double-blind trial utilizing 30mg of ketorolac and a standard anaesthetic and surgical technique was performed on 65 female patients having impacted third molar teeth removed. Assessment was made by means of a patient questionnaire and visual analogue pain scales and subjected to statistical analysis.

There was a statistically significant difference confirming improved pain relief for patients receiving ketorolac 30mg at the early postoperative stage (two hours) but at later time intervals (four and six hours) there was no significant difference. Seventy two per cent of patients found ketorolac to be a satisfactory analgesic for postoperative pain. There were minimal side effects.

A single supplemental dose of ketorolac 30mg provides improved pain relief in the immediate post-operative phase following the removal of third molar teeth. Oral ketorolac can be recommended as a oral analgesic for post-operative pain, with minimal side effects.