April 2022

Aim: Pain management after periodontal surgery has been discussed in relation to drug classification; however, analgesia protocols have not been addressed. Thus, the objective of this systematic review (SR) was to compare preoperative and postoperative analgesia protocols for postoperative pain control in periodontal surgery. Materials and Methods: This SR was developed according to PRISMA statements. Electronic databases and gray literature were investigated regarding trials using preoperative and postoperative analgesia protocols with oral anti-inflammatories and analgesics.We evaluated each study for risk of bias and quality of evidence.We submitted the quantitative data to meta-analysis. Only studies categorized as having unclear or low risk of bias were included in the meta-analysis. Results: A total of 2,528 distinct trials were screened. Out of those, 29 were selected for the qualitative analysis and 11 were chosen for the meta-analysis. There was no significant difference between the analgesia protocols compared to placebo within two hours after surgery. Both the preoperative and postoperative protocols showed similar effectiveness in controlling postoperative pain. Conclusions: Preoperative and postoperative analgesia protocols, including oral anti-inflammatories and analgesics, were considered effective for postoperative pain control after periodontal surgery. The overall quality of evidence was moderate (preoperative protocols) and low (postoperative protocols).