Effect of Calcitonin on Healing Duration, Function and Pain Relief in Patients with Maxillofacial Fractures. A pilot study

Abstract

Introduction: Calcitonin is a polypeptide hormone regulating the metabolism calcium in the body. Many studies showed that calcitonin had analgesic effect on several painful circumstances. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of intranasal calcitonin during the immediate postoperative period on postoperative pain in patients undergoing maxillofacial fracture surgery. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial which was conducted in April 2019 in Imam Reza Hospital of Tabriz, 16 patients with maxillofacial fracture were divided randomly into two groups. The intervention group was given 200UI of intranasal calcitonin and the control group received nasal spray of NaCl. The severity of pain was then evaluated daily for up to seven days after the operation, with the severity of: no pain (0) to the most severe pain (10) using visual analog scale for pain. The daily dose of analgesic was also measured. The patients were allowed to request 250 mg of injectable acetaminophen each day up to a maximum daily dose of 4 g (maximum permissible dose) in the event of pain. Results: The results show that the pain intensity between two groups was not significantly different. However in the seventh day the total acetaminophen consumption was significantly lower in the intervention group. Conclusion: calcitonin may be a useful medication to help to control the post operative pain by reducing the required dose of routine painkillers.