Preemptive effects of etoricoxib, acetaminophen, nimesulide, and ibuprofen on postoperative pain management after single‐implant surgery: A randomized clinical trial

Background There is insufficient evidence for pain control in preemptive analgesia (PA) after dental implant surgery, signaling the need for further studies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of PA in single dental implant surgeries (SDIS), seeking to identify among the etoricoxib (ETOR), ibuprofen (IBU), nimesulide (NIME), and acetaminophen (ACETA)], which one has the higher efficacy effectiveness in relieving postoperative pain and reducing the use of rescue medication compared to placebo. Methods In this triple‐blind, parallel, randomized controlled clinical trial, 135 individuals with a mean age of 57.6 years (±11.7), both genders, were randomly divided into five groups according to the test drug: I—PLACEBO; II—IBU (600 mg); III—NIME (100 mg); IV—ACETA (750 mg); and V—ETOR (90 mg). The occurrence, duration, and intensity of pain were analyzed using the Chi‐square, Fisher's exact and ANOVA tests, and the generalized estimating equation models, when appropriate. Results Test drugs provided a reduction in postoperative pain scores and lower use of rescue medication when compared to placebo. The ETOR group presented significantly lower pain scores, when compared to other active treatments. The IBU group showed the highest mean number of rescue medication used. Conclusions All test drugs provided a beneficial preemptive effect demonstrated by the reduced postoperative pain and reduced use of rescue medication. The ETOR group presented lower pain scores, and the IBU group showed the highest mean number of rescue medication used among the test groups.