From Volume 44, Issue 5, May 2017 | Pages 409-414
Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is a commonly used analgesic; its ‘over the counter’ availability, low cost and popularity amongst patients often make it the first choice for dental pain. It is in this that its potential toxicity, made more complicated by the ever extending range of paracetamol-containing products, make the understanding of this medication key to the safe management of patients presenting to surgery with dental pain.
Indicated for use in the treatment of mild to moderate pain and fever, and available as an ‘over the counter’ medication, paracetamol (acetaminophen) is widely used as the analgesic of choice in the management of dental pain in the UK.1 Indeed, the 2007 Cochrane review by Weil et al concluded that paracetamol was a safe, effective drug for the treatment of post-operative pain following the surgical removal of lower third molars.2
Being an inexpensive and freely available drug, coupled with the ever extending range of paracetamol-containing preparations, can leave patients with misunderstandings regarding its safety, resulting in cases of unintentional overdose compounding a visit to the dental surgery.3
Unfortunately, the risk of overmedication before presentation is complicated by the prevalence of dental anxiety and the current emergency dental care provisions.4,5 In this, dental pain has been highlighted as a risk factor for paracetamol overdose, with a clinically significant number of patients attending A&E with overuse of non-prescription analgesics secondary to dental pain.4,6 To contextualize, a case series encompassing 116 admissions of unintentional paracetamol overdose to the Medical Assessment Unit at the Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, revealed that 41% were secondary to a cause associated with dental pain.7
Thank you for visiting Dental Update and reading some of our resources. To read more, please register today. You’ll enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
