Effects of paracetamol and tenoxicam on postoperative pain and need for rescue analgesia in root canal treatments performed under general anesthesia: a retrospective study

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of parenterally administered paracetamol and tenoxicam on early postoperative pain regarding analgesia in healthy adults who had completed root canal treatments (RCTs) in a single visit under standard general anesthesia protocols. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, the data of 83 adult patients who underwent RCTs under general anesthesia in a single visit due to severe nausea reflex and/or anxiety were analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups according to the intravenous administration of 15 mg/kg paracetamol (P group) or 0.5 mg/ kg tenoxicam (T group) 30 min before the end of general anesthesia to meet their analgesia requirements. Thereafter, early postoperative period visual analog scale (VAS) scores were recorded at the 5th minute after the patients were taken to the recovery room and at the subsequent 2nd hour. After 2 h, rescue analgesia was given to patients with VAS scores >4 in both groups and recorded. Data were analyzed statistically. Results: A total of 68 patients who met the inclusion criteria were evaluated. Regarding postoperative pain values, the average VAS score was significantly lower in the T group at both the 5th minute and 2nd hour than in the P group. In both groups, the mean VAS scores were decreased by the same amount over time, and the differences between the groups were not significant (p=0.452). Moreover, no significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of the need for rescue analgesia (p=0.571). Conclusion: Tenoxicam, administered parenterally, provides more effective analgesia for postoperative pain management compared with paracetamol when it is used in RCTs under general anesthesia.