Diclofenac Pain Case Study

Pain is the most pervasive and universal form of human distress. The costs of pain in human suffering and economic resources are extraordinary. It is the most common reason for seeking medical care, and it has been estimated that approximately 80% of physician office visits involve a pain component. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most widely used class of drugs for the management of acute and chronic pain in dentistry. NSAIDs minimize edema, but they are associated with many adverse effects, like gastric irritability, as dyspepsia and gastric bleeding which lead to a number of contraindications. Diclofenac is a powerful anti-inflammatory and analgesic drug that is well suited for local use in the oral cavity.

Compared to baseline measurements, spontaneous pain was significantly reduced by diclofenac mouthwash on the first day of treatment which showed gradual decrease till 7th day. Other parameters, i.e. gingival inflammation, showed a highly significant reduction in the scores in the test group when compared to baseline. The new 0.074% diclofenac mouthwash is an effective and tolerable medicinal product for post-surgical symptomatic relief. This topical formulation is sufficiently effective for pain relief after minor oral surgical procedures without subjecting the patients to systemic side-effects.

Key words: Diclofenac, Inflammation, mouthwash, pain, periodontal surgery.

INTRODUCTION

Pain is primarily a psychological experience. It is the most pervasive and universal form of human distress and it often contributes to dramatic reductions in the quality of life. Episodes of pain can vary in magnitude from events that are mundane, but commonplace, to crises that are excruciating, sometimes intractable and not so common,

Data obtained for the MGI score was subjected to statistical analysis using Student’s paired “t”-test for intergroup comparison. The level of significance was taken as 0.05 (P0.05) when compared to placebo group throughout the study [Table 3]. Mild burning was reported in few subjects rinsing with diclofenac mouthwash but none of the placebo group patients reported the same. Palatability was judged as pleasant/acceptable in all cases. The present study shows that diclofenac mouthwash 0.074% at a dose of 15 ml twice daily has a significant local analgesic effects (P<0.001), with duration of pain relief being 123.7±98.2 min for morphine. Results of these studies suggest a possible analgesic effect of topical