The ADA Science and Research Institute (now ADA Forsyth Institute), the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine have written a clinical practice guideline for the management of acute pain in dentistry, including the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids.
Acute Dental Pain Management Guideline (2023/2024)
These clinical practical guidelines present recommendations on managing acute oral pain in children, adolescents and adults.
Adult and Adolescent Pain Guideline and Resources (2024)
Clinical practice guideline on managing acute oral pain in adolescents, adults and older adults.
A dosing guide with pain management options for adults with a toothache
A dosing guide with pain management options for adults with a toothache.
Pediatric Acute Pain Guideline and Resources (2023)
This clinical practice guideline recommends how to manage acute oral pain in children under age 12.
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 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.