Ibuprofen given pre- and post-operatively for the relief of pain.

155 patients undergoing surgical removal of lower third molars took part in a parallel group, randomised double-blind study to assess the analgesic effect of single pre-operative doses of ibuprofen (400 mg), codeine phosphate (30 mg), a combination of ibuprofen/codeine (400 mg/30 mg), placebo and post-operative single doses of the same combination or diflunisal (250 mg). Patients receiving the combination or ibuprofen pre-operatively took significantly longer between surgery completion and needing the post-operative study treatment than patients receiving codeine phosphate or placebo. At 1 1/2-2 h after post-operative administration, patients receiving the combination post-operatively reported significantly greater decreases in pain severity than those receiving diflunisal.

A single dose assessment of an ibuprofen/codeine combination in postoperative dental pain.

In a double-blind, single dose study of analgesic efficacy, 202 patients who had undergone lower 3rd molar extraction were divided into 5 groups to receive aspirin, placebo, ibuprofen, codeine, or an ibuprofen/codeine combination. Ibuprofen 200 mg (with or without codeine phosphate 15 mg) and aspirin 600 mg were significantly superior to either placebo or codeine phosphate 15 mg alone. Codeine phosphate at a dose of 15 mg was ineffective as an analgesic either alone or in combination.

A double-blind placebo-controlled comparison of three ibuprofen/codeine combinations and aspirin.

In a double-blind, single dose study of analgesic efficacy, 165 patients who were expected to develop moderate to severe pain following the removal of an impacted mandibular third molar tooth were allocated to receive aspirin, placebo, or an increasing dose of a fixed ratio ibuprofen/codeine combination. The degree of pain experienced prior to medication was noted and the patients were asked to record the degree of pain and of pain relief hourly for the following 5 hours. The study produced clear evidence of the superior efficacy of the combinations when compared to placebo and aspirin.