Comparison of efficacy and safety of bromelain with diclofenac sodium in the management of postoperative pain and swelling following mandibular third molar surgery

The effect of bromelain in periodontal surgery: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Periodontitis is a persistent inflammatory condition. Eliminating the infection and reducing its risk factors are the first steps in treating periodontitis. When the anti-infective therapy is complete, there may still be deep periodontal pockets and prolonged inflammation. Surgical pocket reduction or elimination is indicated under these circumstances. We aimed to evaluate the effect of bromelain on bleeding on probing (BOP), gingival index (GI), and plaque index (PI) after pocket elimination surgery.

METHODS

This double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial included 28 candidates for pocket elimination surgery referred to the private office of a periodontist in Bandar Abbas, Iran, from April 18 to August 18, 2021. Patients' general characteristics, such as age and sex, were recorded. Additionally, periodontal indices including BOP, PI, GI, and pocket probing depth (PPD) were evaluated in all subjects. All patients underwent pocket elimination surgery. Afterwards, they were randomized into two groups. The first group received 500 mg Anaheal (bromelain) capsules twice a day before meal for one week. The second group received placebo, prepared in similar shape and color by the same pharmaceutical company. BOP, PI, GI, and PPD were assessed four weeks after completion of the treatment course (five weeks after surgery).

RESULTS

Four weeks after intervention, BOP was significantly lower with Anaheal compared to placebo (0% vs. 35.7%, P = 0.014). However, there was no significant difference in GI between groups (P = 0.120). Mean PI was lower (17.71 ± 2.12 vs. 18.28 ± 2.49) and mean PPD higher (3.10 ± 0.71 vs. 2.64 ± 0.45) in the Anaheal group, but the differences did not reach statistically significant levels (P = 0.520 and P = 0.051, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

One-week treatment with Anaheal at a dose of 1 g/d after pocket elimination surgery resulted in significantly lower BOP compared to placebo.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT), IRCT20201106049289N1. Registered 06/04/2021. Registered prospectively, https://www.irct.ir/trial/52181 .

Comparative efficacy of bromelain and aceclofenac in limiting post-operative inflammatory sequelae in surgical removal of lower impacted third molar: a randomized controlled, triple blind clinical trial

Background

Pain, edema, and trismus are predictable sequelae for surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars (M3M). The present study aimed to compare the anti-phlogistic potential of bromelain and aceclofenac in the reduction of post-surgical sequalae in the extraction of impacted M3M.

Method

A randomized controlled, triple-blinded clinical study included 72 patients scheduled for surgical removal of impacted M3M under local anesthesia. Randomization was performed and subjects were equally allocated to groups A (control) and B (study), who intended to receive aceclofenac and bromelain, respectively. The primary outcome variables were pain, edema, and trismus evaluated on postoperative days 2 and 7 and compared with baseline values. The secondary variables evaluated were the quantity of rescue analgesics required and the frequency of adverse effects in both groups for 7 postoperative (PO) days. Data were analyzed with a level of significance of P < 0.05.

Results

Group B demonstrated a significant decrease in the severity of edema and trismus compared to group A on both PO days 2 and 7 (P < 0.001). Bromelain demonstrated similar analgesic efficacy with an insignificant difference compared to aceclofenac (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

The present study showed that the efficacy of bromelain was comparable to that of aceclofenac in reducing inflammatory complications following surgical removal of impacted M3M. Bromelain can be considered a safe and potent alternative to routinely used aceclofenac when addressing inflammatory outcomes after surgery.