Indications for analgesics for acute dental pain

Analgesics modify the sensation of pain but do not address its cause. Therefore, for acute dental pain, analgesics should only be used as an adjunct to dental treatment in the following circumstances:

• when the patient’s pain cannot be eliminated or adequately controlled by dental treatment and other required drugs (eg antibiotic therapy for spreading infection)
• following surgical procedures that cause postoperative pain
• when a patient has presented to a medical practitioner and is unable to see a dentist promptly—interim analgesics should be offered for certain indications (see A guide to differentiating and managing acute dental pain) and the patient should be reminded that dental treatment is necessary to treat the cause of pain.

The analgesic regimens in this topic are only suitable for nociceptive pain. For neuropathic or nociplastic pain, further investigations and other management approaches are required (see here for further information).