CONTROL OF POSTOPERATIVE PAIN IN ORAL SURGERY: LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Objectives: To discuss effective analgesic strategies for controlling postoperative pain in oral surgery in order to support drug choice more appropriately. Material and Methods: The literature review was conducted in the databases Medline, PubMed, Science Direct, EBSCO, and Cochrane. 29 studies were selected, including 13 conventional literature reviews, 05 systematic reviews and 11 randomized controlled trials. Results: The surgical procedures in the oral cavity were found to be more invasive and with increased potential to cause postoperative pain, what requires from the professional the use of pharmacological strategies to minimize discomfort generated by such interventions. Several drugs might help in controlling pain, like opioids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (corticosteroids). Each drug has a specific mechanism of action, associated with varying degrees of efficiency at each stage of the painful process. Conclusions: The control of postoperative pain should be made individually, choosing the drugs correctly and always taking into account the etiology of pain, type and severity of the procedure performed and patient's systemic conditions, among other factors. Strategies with the combined use of painkillers that act on different nociceptive pathways have shown a better effect in controlling postoperative pain in patients undergoing oral surgery. DESCRIPTORS: Analgesia. Pain, Postoperative. Oral Surgery.