The American Dental Association (ADA) is strictly enforcing new restrictions regarding the use of opioids for dental pain.
As per the guidelines, the first-line treatment for teens and adults experiencing short-term dental pain is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) administered either on their own or in combination with acetaminophen.
An ADA guideline panel found that those drugs can effectively control pain following tooth extraction or from a toothache, based on the current medical data.
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Dental Pain
The guidelines further state that, after taking into account any risk factors for opioid abuse, prescriptions for opioid medications should only be issued in specific situations.
According to the guidelines, dentists should refrain from writing opioid prescriptions for patients “just in case,” and they should proceed with extreme caution when writing prescriptions for teens and young adults.
The guidelines also state that patients should be instructed on how to properly store and dispose of opioid medications.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration awarded a $1.5 million grant in 2020 to produce guidelines for treating dental pain in patients. This money was used to develop the guidelines.
According to a press release from the American Dental Association, Marta Sokolowska, deputy center director for drug use and behavioral health at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, “we hope this clinical practice guideline will reduce the risk of opioid addiction, overdose, and diversion.”
In 2023, a prior set of guidelines for patients in pediatrics was released.
NSAIDs available without a prescription include aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen sodium. For more severe pain, prescription-strength NSAIDs are also available.
Senior author and panel chair Dr. Paul Moore, an emeritus professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Dental Medicine, stated, “Dentists now have a set of evidence-based recommendations to determine the best care for their patients. It’s important to take special consideration when prescribing any type of pain reliever.”
“In order to feel secure that they are getting the safest, most efficient treatment for their symptoms, patients are encouraged to talk about pain management expectations and strategies with their dentist,” Moore stated.
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