A recent study published in the ‘Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery’ put forward the superior effectiveness of diclofenac sodium Transbuccal mucoadhesive patch to be a more effective, safe and quick pain relief option compared to the oral formulation following the third molar surgery in adults.

Zenish Bhatti et al. compared two different routes of administration of diclofenac (mucoadhesive buccal patch versus oral) for pain, swelling and lockjaw (trismus) following the surgery of mandibular third molars. This prospective split-mouth, single-blinded study based in Ahmedabad, India included 18 to 45-year-old patients of either sex (aged 18 to 45 years old) undergoing bilaterally symmetrical impacted-mandibular third molars surgery under the influence of local anesthesia. Excluded were the individuals who had consumed analgesics within 24 hours before the surgery.

Following the initial screening of 146 patients, the study ultimately comprised 37 subjects (21 males; and 16 females). The study group administered a transbuccal mucoadhesive patch containing 20 mg diclofenac sodium, which proved to have incredibly lower postoperative pain scores (measured via visual analogue scale) on the same day, day 1, day 2 and day 3 compared to the control group, who received oral tablets of 50 mg (P ≤ .05). There was no notable discrepancy in the reduction of facial swelling or enhancement in mouth opening between both groups at the same points after the surgery (P ≥ .05). However, the study group exhibited a statistically significant quicker onset of analgesia (about 19.96 minutes) than the control group (about 52.56 minutes).