Number needed to treat (NNT) from the systematic reviews in osteoarthritis (OA)
| Intervention[reference] | Duration of intervention (weeks) | Comparator | Outcomes | Relative risk (95% CI) | NNT (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95% CI, 95% confidence interval. | |||||
| *Only point estimates of the NNTs were shown owing to the insignificant values of the RR (as shown in the 95% CI). | |||||
| †Relative risk was not calculable because the NNT was calculated from the effect size and proportion benefiting. | |||||
| OA of the hip[22] | |||||
| Codeine+paracetamol | 4 | Paracetamol | Pain improvement | 1.12 (0.57 to 2.22) | 32.3* |
| Diclofenac | 8 | Ibuprofen | Improved patient global | 1.29 (0.74 to 2.27) | 6.8* |
| Diclofenac | 2 | Naproxen | Pain improvement | 1.02 (0.83 to 1.25) | 58.8* |
| Etodolac | 4 | Placebo | Pain improvement | 1.59 (1.06 to 2.38) | 4.4 (2.4 to 24.4) |
| Flurbiprofen | 20 | Sulindac | Pain improvement | 1.1 (0.82 to 1.48) | 13.2* |
| Naproxen | 8 | Indometacin | Pain improvement | –† | 9.2* |
| Piroxicam | 20 | Naproxen | Pain improvement | –† | 11.0* |
| Tenoxicam | 8 | Placebo | Pain improvement | –† | 3.8 (2.5 to 7.3) |
| OA of the knee | |||||
| Low level laser treatment[23] | 10 days–4 weeks | Placebo | Pain improvement | –† | 11.6* |