To compare the analgesic efficiency and adverse effects of postoperative patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) with lornoxicam and sufentanil in patients undergoing oral maxillofacial surgery. 200 ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) I-II patients who undertook oral maxillofacial operation were divided into two groups: lornoxicam group (group L) and sufentanil group (group S), with 100 patients in each group. The effectiveness was assessed with visual analogue scale (VAS), Prince-Henry score (PHS) and Ramsay sedation Score (RSS) at different time points: 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 h after the beginning of analgesia. The analgesic efficacy of analgesia and the adverse effects during analgesia period were observed. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference in VAS, PHS and RSS at 4, 8, 12, 24, 48 h and the overall satisfaction on analgesia therapy. The percentage of nausea, vomiting and dizziness was significantly lower in group L than that in group S (1% vs 9%, 0 vs 4%, 0 vs 3%, P<0.05).