This double-blind study compared a controlled-release formulation of ibuprofen 600 mg with three doses of regular ibuprofen 200 mg and three doses of codeine 30 mg. Patients who had dental impaction surgery received the controlled-release ibuprofen, codeine, or regular ibuprofen when postoperative pain reached moderate to severe intensity. At 4 and 8 hours after dose 1, patients who had initially received the controlled-release ibuprofen received a placebo, and those taking ibuprofen and codeine received their second and third doses of those drugs. All doses of study medication or placebo appeared identical for each treatment. Subjects made evaluations hourly for 12 hours in a diary. The controlled-release ibuprofen had a comparable onset to ibuprofen, a higher peak effect, and was significantly more effective than ibuprofen at hour 4; the controlled-release ibuprofen was significantly more effective than codeine for all hourly observations through hour 9. Ibuprofen was significantly better than codeine only through hour 3. The controlled-release ibuprofen had the lowest incidence of side effects and codeine the highest. The single dose of the controlled-release ibuprofen formulation appeared as efficacious as three regular doses of ibuprofen 200 mg over a 12-hour period.