Supra-therapeutic oral paracetamol overdose in adults: an update for the dental team

Abstract

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. Clinical relevance: The purpose of this article is to supply dental practitioners with the knowledge to manage patients who present having taken an oral supra-therapeutic paracetamol overdose. Consideration is given to those patients who can be treated safely in primary care and to those who require transfer to Accident and Emergency (A&E).

Paracetamol misusing to dental pain: a case-report and recommandations for treatment

“…Literature review A narrative review of the literature (Medline and Web of science databases) about paracetamol overdose related to dental pain found 10 articles (published between 2002 and 2019) representing 331 patients [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”

“…The reasons given during anamnesis in supratherapeutic doses were all causes of dental pain (pulp necrosis, acute pulpitis, alveolitis or cellulitis with an apical lesion [4,5,12].…”