Method: 42 patients with endodontic pain underwent endodontic testing (cold, percussion, palpation, bite force measurement), and then received either placebo or 800 mg ibuprofen. Both patient and operator were blinded to medication received. One hour later, diagnostic testing was repeated and compared to pre-treatment testing.
Result: Ibuprofen affected testing values in patients by masking palpation 40% and percussion 25% on affected teeth with symptomatic IRP and symptomatic apical periodontitis. There was no observed masking effect in the placebo group on palpation or percussion values. One symptomatic patient in the ibuprofen group tested normal to percussion and cold after taking the ibuprofen. Little masking, however, occurred with the bite force measurement differences.
Conclusion: Analgesics taken before the dental appointment can affect endodontic diagnostic testing results. Bite force measurements can provide valuable information to identify the offending tooth in cases where analgesics “mask” the endodontic diagnosis.