Comparative effectiveness of some commonly prescribed drugs for the relief of post surgical discomfort

200 patients following oral and periodontal surgical procedures were randomly assigned to 4 groups and given a coded analgesic containing USP lactose (placebo), dextropropoxyphene darvon compound 65); 30 mg of codeine with 650 mg of aspirin; and 650 mg of aspirin alone. The following results were noted: Thirty six (or 18%) of the patients reported no pain following the surgical procedures and utilized none of the medication. These patients were excluded from the statistical analysis of the data. The average number of capsules ingested was 5.4 and there were no differences between the groups. The codeine + aspirin and the aspirin alone did not differ statistically as far as analgesic effectiveness, and were significantly superior to the propoxyphene compound or the placebo. There were no statistically significant differences among the side effects recorded across groups. It is suggested that the therapeutic credentials of aspirin combined with its low cost justify its position as the drug of preference for the control of most outpatient postsurgical discomfort.