ABSTRACT: Background: The present study was conducted to compare tramadol versus ketorolac in pain management following third molar surgery. Materials & Methods: 56 cases of impacted mandibular third molar were divided into 2 groups of 28 each. Group I patients were given tramadol 50 mg intravenously before the surgery and group II patients were given ketorolac 30 mg intravenously before the surgery. Results: The amount of local anesthetic used was 5.8 in group I and 5.2 in group II, mean operating time was 18.2 minutes in group I and 17.1 minutes in group II, mean VAS was 21.0 mm in group I and 15.4 mm in group II, total analgesic consumption was 6.5 tablets in group I and 4.2 tablets in group II and mean global assessment scores was 2.7 in group I and 3.4 in group II. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Tramadol is a suitable and safe analgesic for the relief of post-extraction pain following mandibular third molar extraction surgery as compared to Ketorolac.