Effects Of Acetaminophen After Bilateral Oral Surgery: Double Dose Twice Daily Versus Standard Dose Four Times Daily

We compared acetaminophen (APAP) double dose 2000 mg twice a day on the day of oral surgery, decreasing to 1000 mg twice a day for the next 2 days, to a standard dose 1000 mg 4 times a day then 500 mg 4 times a day for 2 days. Compared to the double dose, there was 19% (p = 0.03) less edema after the standard regimen on the third postoperative day. No statistical difference was seen between the two treatments with respect to ability to open the mouth, temperature on the nonoperated versus operated side, or summary analgesic efficacy measures. However, pain intensity scores indicate that APAP double dose gave less analgesia toward the end of the dosing interval than the standard regimen. It is proposed that double-dose APAP twice daily does not have any analgesic and antiedematous advantages over the standard dose 4 times a day. The analgesic and antiphlogistic efficacies of APAP apparently do not coincide.