The ADA Science and Research Institute, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Pennsylvania have written a clinical practice guideline for the management of acute pain in dentistry, including the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids.
Acute Dental Pain Management Guideline (2023)
This clinical practice guideline will recommend how to manage acute oral pain in children.
Chairside and Dosing Guides
Chairside guide: Pediatric dental pain management without immediate care
Chairside guide: Pediatric dental pain management following tooth extraction
A dosing guide with pain management options for children with a toothache
A dosing guide with pain management options for children following tooth removal
Evidence Based Resources
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.
- Clinical recommendations (Link to JADA guideline)
- Systematic review
- Chairside guide for managing acute pain in children due to:
- Toothache (Pediatric pulpitis chairside guide link)
- Tooth extraction (Tooth extraction chairside guide link)
- 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.