Acetylsalicylic acid compared with acetylsalicylic acid plus codeine as postoperative analgesics after removal of impacted mandibular third molars.

In a multicenter, double blind clinical trial a combination of acetylsalicylic acid 500 mg + codeine phosphate 30 mg has been compared with acetylsalicylic acid 500 mg as postoperative analgesics in patients with pain after surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars. Evaluation of the results from 129 patients showed that the combination of acetylsalicylic acid and codeine provided better pain relief and also the number of tablets used was smaller and the time intervals between repeated doses were longer than with acetylsalicylic acid only. Adverse effects were few and similar for both drugs. It may be concluded that the combination of 500 mg acetylsalicylic acid and 30 mg codeine phosphate provides a useful analgesic for more severe pain conditions in oral surgery.