Comparative evaluation of efficacy of prescription of systemic ibuprofen and local application of lidocaine gel to decrease pain in scaling and root planing in patients with mild-to-moderate periodontitis

The unpleasant feeling of pain prevents patients from visiting the dental office. This pain also occurs during scaling، leading to aggravation of periodontal diseases. The aim of this research was to campare the effect of oral ibuprofen and local lidocaine gel on pain relief during scaling and root planing. In this single-blind clinical trial، 80 patients with mild-to-moderate periodontitis، who needed scaling، were selected from the Department of Periodontology، Faculty of Dentistry and divided into four groups. Iboprofen، placebo tablet، lidocain gel and placebo gel were used in groups 1-4، respectively، during scaling. Patients marked the severity of pain after the treatment by VAS index. Data were analyzed with SPSS 11. 5 using ANOVA، and Kolmogorov-Smionov and Tukey tests (α = 0. 05). The mean pain score in the lidicaine gel group (1. 80) was significantly lower than those in other groups (p value = 0. 023). The mean pain score in the placebo gel group (3. 90) was higher than the other groups (p value = 0. 023). Under the limitations of this study، use of lidocain gel to reduce the pain during scaling was more effective than systemic administrarion of Iboprofen tablet.