Clinical experience in the treatment of dental pain

Good dental analgesia requires drugs that are endowed with strong and fast activity and that are well tolerated. In addition, optimal analgesia should essentially be of the peripheral type, thereby eliminating the risk of sedation that may cause unpleasant effects on the patient's daily life. Meclofenamic acid is among those substances whose analgesic effect is more evident than that of anti-inflammatory action. The mechanism of action of meclofenamic acid makes it distinctly different from other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in that it inhibits the metabolic pathways of arachidonic acid and, at the same time, antagonizes the effects of prostaglandins at the peripheral receptor level. A number of controlled clinical trials showed that meclofenamic acid is an excellent analgesic, offering good tolerability when used in oral surgery, dysodontiasis, avulsion of the third impacted molar, and periodontitis. The following report is a presentation of results obtained in a controlled clinical trial in which the speed of pain relief was assessed in 20 patients suffering from acute periodontitis. The patients were treated orally with a single dose of meclofenamate sodium (100 mg) or with piroxicam-beta-cyclodextrin (20 mg). The intensity of the drug's analgesic effect was measured at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 6 h after administration. After initial testing, meclofenamate sodium was found to be significantly more effective than piroxicam-beta-cyclodextrin. Both the physician and patient found this drug to be considerably better. Pain relief after treatment with meclofenamate sodium was clinically and statistically faster than piroxicam-beta-cyclodextrin, and both drugs were found to be well tolerated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)