Effectiveness Of Pre-operative Oral Medication of Ibuprofen and Ketorolac on Anesthetic Efficacy of Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block with Irreversible Pulpitis: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background and objectives Pain is the primary reason that dental patients seek endodontic therapy. The inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) is the most frequently used mandibular injection technique for achieving local anesthesia for endodontic treatment. However, the IANB does not always result in successful pulpal anesthesia. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of preoperative administration of both ibuprofen and ketorolac on the efficacy of the IANB in patients with irreversible pulpitis. Methods A total of 60 patients diagnosed with irreversible pulpits of a mandibular posterior tooth randomly received identical capsules of either 400 mg ibuprofen or 20 mg ketorolac or a placebo 1 hour before the administration of a conventional IANB. Access was initiated after profound lip numbness was achieved. Success was defined as no, mild, moderate, or severe pain (verbal rating scale recordings) on accessing the dentin, pulp, and debridement. Results Ketorolac was associated with superior efficacy in pain reduction when compared with ibuprofen and placebo in all parameters, namely the dentin, pulp, and canal debridement. Interpretation and conclusion In conclusion, for mandibular posterior teeth, a preoperative dose of 400 mg of ibuprofen or 20 mg of ketorolac showed a statistically significant increase in the success of the IANB in patients with irreversible pulpitis.