NAHP for the Selection of Analgesic Treatments in Third Molar Surgery

The optimal selection of analgesics for third molar removal is a pressing concern due to patient-specific benefits and unknown ramifications of treatment efficacy. This is a major concern relative to dentistry and the health field in general because optimal analgesic selection minimizes postoperative adverse events and improves recovery and quality of life; improper selection does the opposite. Yet much of the research conducted fails to combine a systematic selection process with the uncertainty surrounding efficacy versus adverse events versus patient-related considerations. Therefore, this research uses a systematic approach via Neutrosophic Analytic Hierarchy Process (NAHP) which allows for true, indeterminate, and false response variable analysis to determine analgesic selection. NAHP derives hierarchy of criteria relative to the study including pain control, swelling control, safety and cost. Results show that dexamethasone and ibuprofen have the highest priority with proper pain and swelling control with moderate adverse events. This research is a new approach to personal treatment assessment that can be used by professionals for standard analgesic selection with a robust yet easily replicable formula that can be adjusted for other surgical dental procedures.