Use the clinician and patient tabs below to access the full guideline, chairside guides summarizing the guideline's recommendations, "For the Patient" pages that explain pain management options to patients, and much more.
Acute dental pain management guideline
These clinical practical guidelines present recommendations on managing acute oral pain in children, adolescents and adults.
Adult and adolescent pain living guideline (2024)
New, interactive guideline format available for existing adult and adolescent pain management guideline.
Adult and adolescent pain guideline and resources (2024)
How to manage acute oral pain in adolescents, adults and older adults published in JADA.
A patient conversation aid with pain management options for adults with a toothache.
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A patient conversation aid with pain management options for adults following tooth removal.
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Adolescent and adult dental pain management without immediate care.
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Adolescent and adult dental pain management following tooth extraction.
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Pediatric acute pain guideline and resources (2023)
How to manage acute oral pain in children under 12.
Chairside guide: Pediatric dental pain management without immediate care.
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Chairside guide: Pediatric dental pain management following tooth extraction.
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A patient conversation aid with pain management options for children with a toothache.
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A patient conversation aid with pain management options for children following tooth removal.
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Evidence-based resources
- Clinical recommendations for managing acute pain in adolescent/adult patients and in children
- Systematic Reviews
- Analgesics for the management of acute dental pain in the pediatric population (PDF)
- Acute postoperative pain due to dental extraction in the adult population
- Injectable and topical local anesthetics for acute dental pain
- Corticosteroids for managing acute pain subsequent to surgical extraction of mandibular third molars
- Chairside guide for managing acute pain in children due to:
- Toothache (PDF)
- Tooth extraction (PDF)
- JADA Story: Benefits and harms associated with analgesic medications used in the management of acute dental pain
- Free Continuing Education course: Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Acute Dental Pain
- Oral Health Topics on:
- Read more about FDA’s Initiative to Support Clinical Practice Guidelines for Drugs with Abuse Potential
- Downloadable guide in partnership with the Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS): Chairside Pain Management Discussion
- Downloadable resource from the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC): Opioids and Children and Adolescents: Information for Oral Health Professionals (PDF)
- New Dentist Now blog: What It’s Like to Develop a Clinical Practice Guideline
- Search JADA for research related to managing acute dental pain
- ADA Library resources
- For the Patient pages on:
- MouthHealthy pages on:
- For more information about pediatric dentistry or pediatric dentists, visit My Children's Teeth from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.