POSTOPERATIVE PAIN RELIEF IN CHILDREN FOLLOWING EXTRACTION OF CARIOUSDECIDUOUS TEETH UNDER GENERAL-ANESTHESIA - A COMPARISON OF NALBUPHINEAND DICLOFENAC

In a randomized double-blind study 60 children, undergoing the extract ion of carious deciduous teeth under day-case general anaesthesia, wer e assigned to receive either intravenous nalbuphine hydrochloride 0.3 mg kg(-1) (n=21), one or more diclofenac suppositories 12.5 mg to a do se of 1-2 mg kg(-1) (n=19), or no analgesia (n=20). The duration of an aesthesia was longer in the diclofenac group (9.6 min, SD 3.5) compare d with control (7.2 min, SD 2.6) and nalbuphine (6.9 min, SD 3.0) grou ps respectively (P<0.05). There were no statistically significant diff erences in post-operative pain scores during the 45 min postoperative period studied between the three groups using an objective pain score. We conclude that using this methodology we were unable to demonstrate any statistically significant differences between the analgesic effec ts of either intravenous (i.v.) nalbuphine or diclofenac suppositories compared with control.