The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of transdermal and oral routes of
diclofenac for
postoperative pain management in patients undergoing
dental implant placement. Twenty systemically healthy, partially edentulous patients who required
dental implants bilaterally in the mandibular first molar region were included. While the patient was under
local anesthesia, an implant was placed in the mandibular first molar region of one quadrant. After a minimum of 4 weeks, an implant was placed in the contralateral quadrant under
local anesthesia. Patients were prescribed 50 mg of oral
diclofenac, taken twice daily for 3 days, following implant placement on the first side and a 100-mg
diclofenac transdermal patch, placed once daily for 3 days, after surgery on the contralateral side.
Postoperative pain was documented using the Numeric Rating Scale, Verbal Rating Scale, and
Pain Relief Scale. Demographic, intraoperative, and postoperative characteristics were comparable in all the patients. The data obtained with the 3 subjective scales were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney test. No statistically significant differences in scores were discerned between the oral and transdermal routes of
diclofenac delivery. None of the patients developed any adverse effects when using the
transdermal patch, whereas 3 patients reported gastric irritation and a mild burning sensation when taking oral
diclofenac. Thus, while the efficacy of transdermal and oral
diclofenac for
postoperative pain management was similar, the safety of the transdermal
diclofenac patches was evidently superior. Further research with larger patient samples is necessary, but delivery of
diclofenac through a transdermal route is a promising approach to the management of
postoperative pain.