A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ORAL TRAMADOL AND BUPRENORPHINE TRANSDERMAL PATCH FOR PAIN CONTROL FOLLOWING REMOVAL OF MANDIBULAR IMPACTED THIRD MOLARS

Dayanithi B. S., Titus Thomas K., Neelakandan R. S. and Karthik L.*

ABSTRACT

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of oral tramadol and transdermal buprenorphine patch in postoperative pain management of patients following the bilaterally mesioangular impaction. Materials and Methods: The present study included 22 healthy subjects underwent surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars. The surgical procedure was performed under local anaesthesia by administering an inferior alveolar nerve block with a minimum interval of 1 week in-between the procedures. The postoperative pain was recorded on four subjective scales where readings were taken at various time intervals viz., 2, 6, 10 AM and 2, 6, 10 PM. The same procedure was repeated on the subsequent 2nd and 3rd day and readings were recorded for a total of 3 days. After performing the surgery on one side all the patients received oral tramadol 50 mg twice daily for 3 days. When the same patients returned a week later, they were administered transdermal buprenorphine patch once for duration of 3 days on the contralateral side. Results: From the statistical analysis and clinical observation, it was found that on the first postoperative day transdermal buprenorphine possessed statistical significance when compared to oral tramadol. However, on the subsequent two days of administration no statistical difference was observed in the pain control by either route of administration. Conclusion: The results were in favour of transdermal buprenorphine patches over oral tramadol tablets; suggesting that the buprenorphine patches were not inferior to the oral tramadol tablets, and that both products provided statistical and clinically significant reduction in pain.

Keywords: Dental pain; Tramadol; Transdermal patch; Mandibular Molars.