According to a non-randomized clinical trial, the NSAID Ibuprofen is better to lessen postoperative pain following surgical tooth extractions when compared to photobiomodulation. Alaa Alqutub et al. aimed to examine pain-relieving effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and Ibuprofen following tooth extraction.

Overall, 46 healthy participants (20 to 60 years of age) were incorporated. Notably, 2 groups of 23 patients each were formed from the recruited patients. Ibuprofen was given to Group 1 (the positive control group), while Group 2 (the experimental group) received LLLT. Using Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), pain was quantified on days 1, 2, and 7.

Both treatments elicited a reduction in the mean pain level. The laser therapy group's pain level was considerably lower than the control group's (U = 62.5) on the first postoperative day. According to the findings, in both the control and experimental groups (Z values: -3.61 and -3.1, respectively), the levels of pain remarkably decreased on the second post-surgery day. On the seventh day, no pain was reported by either group. Although the difference was not clinically meaningful (U = 79), the pain level was lower in the control group, as illustrated in Figure 1:

Hence, NSAIDs are beneficial to alleviate postoperative dentoalveolar pain.