THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PREOPERATIVE AND POSTOPERATIVE PARACETAMOL ADMINISTRATION FOR ORTHODONTIC PAIN CONTROL ON PLACEMENT OF ELASTOMERIC SEPARATOR USING VISUAL ANALOG SCALE.A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL

Abstract

BACKGROUND-During orthodontic treatment, the most prevalent issue that patients experience is discomfort. NSAIDs is frequently taken as a pain reliever. Many NSAIDs are available in the market which includes aceclofenac, paracetamol, ibuprofen, and celecoxib etc. Paracetamol has been recommended that the best analgesic for orthodontic therapy. It is the safest medication.

AIM- The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of paracetamol when administered before the placement of the separator in one group and after the placement of the separator in another group.

METHODOLOGY- Patients seeking orthodontic treatment were included in this study. The participants were randomly divided into 3 groups. Group 1- control group, Group 2- preemptive group, Group 3-postemptive group. Each tablet was placed in a resealable plastic bag, with a corresponding dose. Each plastic bag was labeled at what time the patient should take the tablet. The tablet was not identifiable as to what it contained, paracetamol or placebo(vitamin B complex).Placebo was used in control  group.Posterior separators were placed by the researcher depending on the sample group. The participants recorded their degree of discomfort in four instances of time while at rest, before placement of the separator, and while chewing on anterior biting, and posterior biting. The participants were instructed to take the medicine 1hr before placement and 4hrs after placement of the separator. The participants recorded their degree of pain over a visual analog scale having a marking of 100 mm called VAS SCALE. Kolmogorov- Smirnov test and Shapiro-Wilks test were employed to test the normality of data. Kruskal Wallis Test and post hoc analysis were performed for quantitative variables. The level of significance was fixed at 5% and p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS-There is no significant difference b/w among all 3 groups at 1 hr before placement. There is a significant difference between preemptive and preemptive groups at rest, before separator placement as well as during anterior and posterior biting at 2hr, at bedtime,4 hr, upon awakening, and 24hrs.

CONCLUSION-This study concluded that the pain increased after orthodontic separator placement and then gradually lessened after 24 hours.