(6518) Lunch Symposium: Nonopioid Alternatives to Opioids for Management of Dental Pain

Enjoy a FREE lunch and hear from Haleon KOL Dr. Paul Desjardins. Registration is required for the lunch symposiums and seats are limited to 150 attendees.

Opioids have historically played a meaningful role in the management of dental pain. They have proven efficacy against moderate to severe pain, and they are available in a range of formats including oral single and combination products, which offer immediate relief and extended relief. The 2022 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) ‘Opioid Guidelines’ provides recommendations and guidance for use of opioids. However, it also provides recommendations for considering the nonopioid options prior to initiating treatment with an opioid. The ongoing ‘opioid epidemic’ and efforts to reduce use of opioids has put a focus on alternatives to opioids. Over the last 40 years, a number of nonopioid analgesics have been developed and are available for the management of dental pain. During that same time period, the ‘Dental Pain Third Molar Extraction Clinical Study Model’ evolved as an effective tool in evaluating treatments for the relief of dental pain. This has been one of the most effective clinical study models, and it has been a standard in characterizing and comparing the effectiveness of analgesics in relieving acute pain. This course will review the range of nonopioids available to manage dental pain, and the clinical study data (some including direct comparison to opioids) that supports their use. Similar to the options with opioids, there are a range of nonopioids which include single ingredient and combination products, and they can deliver rapid relief and match the levels of pain relief achieved with opioids. The available data with the nonopioids has supported the generation of a number of large-scale comparative meta-analyses of dental pain treatment options. In turn, this information has led to the development of dental pain management guidelines, including the recent American Dental Association (ADA) pediatric and adult dental pain guidelines. These guidelines include treatment algorithms that can guide dentists and other oral health care professionals in delivering effective solutions for their patients’ pain. These tools also consider the benefit/risk with the nonopioid options and what they offer as alternatives to opioids.