A comparison of ketorolac tromethamine and acetaminophen codeine in the management of acute apical periodontitis.

Effective management of severe endodontic pain is often a major problem. The analgesic effect of ketorolac tromethamine (Toradol, 10 mg p.o.) was compared with acetaminophen codeine (325 mg/15 mg p.o.) in patients with severe pain due to acute apical periodontitis in a double-blind clinical study. A total of 66 patients presenting with severe pain (defined as 7 cm and more using a visual analog scale) were randomly assigned to receive either ketorolac tromethamine or acetaminophen codeine (33 patients in each group), and recorded their pain score once every 10 min for 90 min after administration. Results indicate that patients in the ketorolac group had significantly less pain than those who received acetaminophen codeine (p = 0.005).