Analgesic effects after third molar extraction
An analysis has explored potential sex-based differences following third molar surgery.
In a research letter, published in JAMA Network Open, investigators examined analgesic outcomes following treatment with opioids or nonopioids among 1,815 male and female patients who underwent extraction for impacted third molars.
The investigators found that compared with opioids, nonopioids were superior on Day 1 and noninferior on days 2 and 3 in both male and female patients. Further, a larger proportion of the participants in the nonopioid group reported treatment satisfaction and experienced less severe adverse events requiring emergency department visits compared with those in the opioid group. Although the need for rescue medication was found to be lower in the male patients receiving nonopioids, the difference was not statistically significant in female patients receiving nonopioids.
The results of the analysis confirmed the comparable efficacy of nonopioids to opioids — representing the opportunity to limit adverse effects in the first-line setting among patients undergoing impacted third molar extraction.
Read more: JAMA Network Open
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