Comparison of naproxen and combination therapy (naproxen and gabapentin) in post extraction pain relief.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of using combination drug treatment to relieve post extraction pain of impacted mandibular third molar by using Naproxen plus Gabapentin versus Naproxen alone. Study Design: Randomized Control study. Setting: Dental Clinic OPD of Bhitai Dental and Medical College, Sindh, Pakistan. Period: 1st December 2018 to 30th May 2019. Material & Methods: The procedure for extraction was carried out under Local Anaesthesia (2% lignocaine hydrochloride with 1:100,000 adrenaline) at dental clinic OPD of Bhitai Dental and Medical College. Some extractions were performed in Closed Extraction technique while in some patients standard surgical procedure was used which consist of triangular muco – periosteal flap on buccal surface and lingual retraction of soft tissue followed by bone removal. For Pre – Operative and 24-Hour Post – Operative Pain status assessment Visual Analogue Scale and Wong Baker’s Face Pain Rating Scale. Results: Combination therapy (Naproxen and Gabapentin) was effective in significant pain reduction at 12 Hour and 24-Hour Post Extraction period. With 26 patients out 31 presented with Pain Scale of 0 on combination therapy while only 3 out of 31 for naproxen alone after 24 hours. All patients received a single dose of study medicines from the hospital pharmacy. In demographic data, there were 47% (n=29) males and 53% (n=33) females with mean age group of 27.89. Comparing the pain response between the genders, males presented slightly faster pain relief with time as to the females. Conclusion: Enhanced effect of combination therapy of naproxen with gabapentin in reducing post extraction pain of impacted mandibular third molar with respect to naproxen alone.