We recently demonstrated that 25 mg of bromfenac, a new nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic, is at least as effective as 400 mg of ibuprofen in relieving postoperative oral surgery pain. Our objective in this study was to determine whether higher doses were significantly more effective. Two hundred eighty (280) outpatients with postoperative pain after the surgical removal of impacted third molars were randomly assigned, on a double-blind basis, a single oral dose of 10, 25, 50, or 100 mg bromfenac; 650 mg aspirin; 400 mg ibuprofen; or placebo. Subjects rated their pain and its relief for 8 hours. All active treatments were significantly superior to placebo, and bromfenac and ibuprofen were significantly superior to aspirin. The slope of the dose-response curve of bromfenac was significant. The 100 mg bromfenac dose was significantly more effective than the 400 mg ibuprofen dose and had a significantly longer duration of analgesic action.