Non-Cochrane · intervention · PM41704089
The Effectiveness of Ketorolac in Relieving Pain Associated With Root Canal Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Ping Ruijing, Kang Xiaoning, Fang Ruizhen, et al. · Clinical and experimental dental research · 2026 · PubMed · doi:10.1002/cre2.70295
Findings
Population Patients with irreversible pulpitis undergoing root canal treatment
4 findings
| Ketorolac (oral, intramuscular, intranasal, periapical or intracanal) | Other analgesics or placebo (dexamethasone, ibuprofen, tapentadol, etodolac, prednisolone, saline) | Post-endodontic pain intensity 12 h after root canal treatment | SMD -0.29 [-1.36, 0.78] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 190 participants |
| Ketorolac (oral, intramuscular, intranasal, periapical or intracanal) | Other analgesics or placebo (dexamethasone, ibuprofen, tapentadol, etodolac, prednisolone, saline) | Patients requiring additional (rescue) medication after root canal treatment | RR 0.50 [0.35, 0.73] GRADE not reported 3 studies · 212 participants |
| Ketorolac (oral, intramuscular, intranasal, periapical or intracanal) | Other analgesics or placebo (dexamethasone, ibuprofen, tapentadol, etodolac, prednisolone, saline) | Post-endodontic pain intensity 24 h after root canal treatment | SMD -0.25 [-1.07, 0.56] GRADE not reported 3 studies · 250 participants |
| Ketorolac (oral, intramuscular, intranasal, periapical or intracanal) | Other analgesics or placebo (dexamethasone, ibuprofen, tapentadol, etodolac, prednisolone, saline) | Post-endodontic pain intensity 6 h after root canal treatment | SMD -0.82 [-1.18, -0.46] GRADE not reported 3 studies · 250 participants |
Included primary studies 7
Open in Studies| Study | Year | Also included by | Outcomes it informs here | Trial data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rogers 1999 Comparison of effect of intracanal use of ketorolac tromethamine and dexamethasone with oral ibuprofen on post treatment endodontic pain. PMID:10530266 | 1999 | 1 other review | Patients requiring additional (rescue) medication | not extracted yet |
| Sekhar 2024 Comparing the Effects of Intramuscular Injections of Dexamethasone and Ketorolac Tromethamine on Post-treatment Endodontic Pain: An In… PMID:38681426 | 2024 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Akhlaghi 2019 The effect of ketorolac buccal infiltration on postoperative endodontic pain: a prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical… PMID:31187102 | 2019 | this review only | Post-endodontic pain intensity; Patients requiring additional (rescue) medication | not extracted yet |
| Penniston 1996 Evaluation of periapical injection of Ketorolac for management of endodontic pain. PMID:8935018 | 1996 | this review only | Patients requiring additional (rescue) medication | not extracted yet |
| Praveen 2017 Comparative Evaluation of Premedication with Ketorolac and Prednisolone on Postendodontic Pain: A Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial. PMID:28320541 | 2017 | this review only | Post-endodontic pain intensity | not extracted yet |
| Sethi 2014 Effect of single dose pretreatment analgesia with three different analgesics on postoperative endodontic pain: A randomized clinical trial. PMID:25506136 | 2014 | this review only | Post-endodontic pain intensity | not extracted yet |
| Turner 2011 Sniffing out endodontic pain: use of an intranasal analgesic in a randomized clinical trial. PMID:21419286 | 2011 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
Overlap with other reviews
Reviews that include the same primary studies are not independent evidence. Shared counts match studies by PMID, DOI or NCT, and otherwise by author and year (a probable match). Only the non-Cochrane dental reviews have study lists, so overlap with Cochrane reviews is not counted yet.
Review question
| Element | Planned (methods) | Found (results) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Patients with irreversible pulpitis (AAE definition) with vital pulp and no periapical pathology | Irreversible pulpitis or pulpal necrosis patients (n=7 trials) |
| Intervention | Perioperative ketorolac during root canal treatment | Ketorolac by oral (n=2), intramuscular (n=2), periapical or intracanal (n=2) and intranasal (n=1) routes |
| Comparison | Other medications | Placebo, dexamethasone, ibuprofen, tapentadol, etodolac, prednisolone |
| Outcomes | Pain intensity (VAS or Heft-Parker) at several times after administration; number of patients needing further medication | Pain at 6 h (3 trials), 12 h (2 trials), 24 h (3 trials); additional medication (3 trials) |
| Study designs | Randomized clinical trials | 7 RCTs qualitative; 5 RCTs quantitative |
| Timing | Not specified | Pain assessed up to 48 h |