Pharmacology · single question
A 22-year-old patient calls at 11PM because her daughter has a toothache. Which pain medication should be prescribed?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Ibuprofen 400mg + acetaminophen 325mg (combination for dental pain)
- A. Opioids are not first-line for acute dental pain and carry significant addiction/misuse risk. CDC guidelines recommend non-opioid analgesics first for dental pain.
- B. Aspirin alone is less effective than the combination regimen for acute dental pain.
- C. Correct. The evidence-based first-line approach to acute dental pain is the combination of ibuprofen (NSAID) + acetaminophen (non-NSAID analgesic). They work via complementary mechanisms (COX inhibition + central analgesic effect) and together provide analgesia equivalent to opioids for dental pain, without addiction risk.
- D. Failing to provide pain management for a patient in acute pain when safe options are available is inappropriate.