Intranasal Ketorolac for Pain Secondary to Third Molar Impaction Surgery: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Purpose

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the efficacy and safety of intranasal (IN) ketorolac in patients who had third molar extraction surgery with bony impactions.

Materials and Methods

After surgery, patients were randomly assigned to receive IN ketorolac 31.5 mg (n = 40) or IN placebo (n = 40). Safety was assessed from spontaneously reported adverse events and measurement of vital signs. Efficacy assessments included pain intensity, which was measured on a 0- to 100-mm visual analog scale, total pain relief, and global pain evaluation up to 8 hours after dosing or until patients required rescue analgesia. The primary efficacy variable was the summed pain intensity difference score over the first 8 hours after dosing.

Results

Summed pain intensity difference values ± SE were significantly higher (indicating better analgesia) in the ketorolac group compared with placebo (136.7 ± 33.0 vs −105.2 ± 29.1, P < .001). Total pain relief scores were significantly higher (P < .001) in the ketorolac group compared with placebo at all times. A larger proportion of subjects in the ketorolac group reported good, very good, or excellent pain control compared with the control group (60% vs 13%). Times to perceptible (21.5 minutes) and meaningful (66.0 minutes) pain relief were significantly shorter and the time to rescue analgesic use was significantly longer in the ketorolac group (P < .001). Eight patients in the placebo group and 3 in the ketorolac group had adverse events, none of which was serious. The 3 events in the ketorolac group were reports of mild headache.

Conclusion

A single IN ketorolac 31.5 mg dose was well tolerated and provided rapid and effective pain relief in oral surgery patients for a period up to 8 hours.