Currently insufficient evidence to decide if antibiotics are effective in treating irreversible pulpitis

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Irreversible pulpitis often presents as an acute and intense pain and is a frequent reason for emergency dental visits.  Treatment involves accessing the root canal of the tooth to remove the inflamed pulp (nerve) and cleaning the root canal. The aim of this review was to assess the effects of systemic antibiotics for irreversible pulpitis. [read the full story…]

Small study found that pre-operative ibuprofen improved efficacy of inferior alveolar nerve blocks

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Inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) is a routine technique for achieving regional anaesthesia. However, it is not always successful, with inflammation being a potential cause.  The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of preoperative oral ibuprofen (IBU) on the success of inferior alveolar nerve blocks (IANBs) with mepivacaine containing 1: 100 000 epinephrine for [read the full story…]

Probably a benefit in prescribing preoperative analgesics prior to orthodontic separator placement

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Pain is not uncommon after dental procedures. This can be linked with an increase in fear of dental procedures and the possible avoidance of treatment. This is of particular importance in children and adolescents and the use of pre-operative analgesics had been suggested as a way of reducing peri-operative pain. The aim of this Cochrane [read the full story…]

Taking ibuprofen before wisdom tooth removal does not appear to be more effective for controlling post operative pain

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The removal of lower third molars is one of the commonest surgical procedures. The effective management of post operative pain is an important consideration and it has been suggested that preoperative administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be more effective than post operative administration. The aim of this study was therefore to compare the [read the full story…]