Acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – such as ibuprofen – can be used to manage dental pain when immediate care is unavailable.
According to new clinical practice guidelines by the American Dental Association Science & Research Institute (ADASRI), acetaminophen alone, NSAIDs (like ibuprofen) alone or acetaminophen in combination with NSAIDS can effectively manage a child’s pain after a tooth extraction or during a toothache when dental care is not immediately available.
The guideline – also developed by the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health – has been endorsed by the American Dental Association.
Short-term pain
The medication is recommended as first-line treatments for managing short-term dental pain in children under age 12.
These and other recommendations are now available in the September issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association.
The guidelines also state that when acetaminophen or NSAIDs are administered as directed by a dentist or other health care provider, the risk of harm to children from either medication is low.
‘Safe and effective’
Paul Moore is the guideline senior author and the professor emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Dental Medicine. He said: ‘While prescribing opioids to children has become less frequent overall, this guideline ensures that both dentists and parents have evidence-based recommendations to determine the most appropriate treatment for dental pain.
‘Parents and caregivers can take comfort that widely available medications that have no abuse potential, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, are safe and effective for helping their children find relief from short-term dental pain.’
‘This clinical prescribing guideline is a critical step in supporting appropriate treatment of pediatric acute dental pain through the use of acetaminophen and NSAIDs,’ added Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
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