A comparison of the analgesic efficacy of naproxen and acetylsalicylic acid-codeine in patients with pain after dental surgery

A double-blind cross-over study comparing naproxen 400 mg and acetylsalicylic acid 325 mg with codeine 30 mg (ASA-C) was performed in 62 patients suffering severe or moderate pain after dental surgery. A significantly greater analgesic effectiveness was observed with naproxen, with 63 % of patients receiving the drug as first treatment recording successful analgesia while 33 % of patients receiving ASA-C recorded success (p<0.025). Complaints were mild but frequent with both drugs. No serious side effects were observed.