Analgesics: NSAIDs, opioids in dental pain
General and Dental Pharmacology · Dental (BDS)
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Study notes
Why do dental textbooks teach NSAIDs before opioids for tooth pain? Most dental pain (pulpitis, pericoronitis, post-extraction) is inflammatory — prostaglandins sensitize nerve endings. NSAIDs block prostaglandin synthesis at the source, treating both pain and inflammation. Opioids only mask pain centrally and carry dependence, sedation and constipation risks, so teaching reserves them for severe pain unresponsive to NSAIDs, at the lowest effective dose and shortest duration.
Related topics
- General pharmacology principles for dental practice
- Local anesthetics: lignocaine, articaine, vasoconstrictors
- Local anesthesia techniques and complications management
- Antibiotics in dentistry: indications, prophylaxis for endocarditis
- Antifungals and antivirals in oral infections
- Anxiolytics and sedation in dentistry