Comparison of analgesic effects of Acetaminophen and Acetaminophen Codeine with or without Caffeine in control of post acute apical periodentitis pain

Background and Objective: The control of pain in dentistry is one of the important aims. Up to now, some drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen with or without codeine have been used for this purpose. With regard to the effect of caffeine in increasing of the stomach acid secretion and intestinal movements, it seems that caffeine can increase the absorption of Acetaminophen with and without codeine. Methods: This experimental study was performed by simple sampling method and as double blind on 60 patients with acute apical periodentitis due to disease and necrosis of pulp. Drugs and groups were as follows: 1) Acetaminophen (325mg)+placebo powder. 2) Acetaminophen (325mg)+Caffeine (1mg). 3) Acetaminophen codeine (325.15mg)+placebo powder. 4) Acetaminophen codeine (325.15mg)+Caffeine (1mg). Only a single dose of drugs was randomly administered to each patient. The rate of the pain was recorded on the form by using visual analogue scale method (Numerical 0-10) every 10 minutes for 120 minutes. Findings: The process of decreasing pain intensity was different in four groups but this difference was not statistically significant. In the analysis of two combined drugs, the group with caffeine showed better responses in decreasing the pain. Although, there was not a statistically significant difference. Conclusion: According to the obtained results, it seems that adding caffeine to Acetaminophen can induce similar effectiveness with Acetaminophen with codeine in control of the pain due to apical periodentitis.