Analgesia (mis)usage on a dental emergency service: a patient survey

Abstract

Objectives

Analgesics are one of the most frequently used medicines. Self-medication and misuse have been described in the literature. The purpose of this study was to document analgesic (mis)use in a population seeking emergency dental treatment.

Material and methods

Patients consulting a dental emergency service were randomly asked to complete a questionnaire on analgesic use, knowledge and information on the analgesics and on their pain history. A photobook was used as an aid to identify products used. Descriptive statistics were combined with chi-square and Mann-Whitney U testing.

Results

Ninety-eight patients were included. Acetaminophen (69.4%) and ibuprofen (65.3%) were the most frequently used products. Nearly half of the subjects (43.9%) combined at least two analgesics. Although 42.9% of subjects were aware of the maximum daily dose, 62.2% of the subjects exceeded this limit, specifically 76.6% of subjects using ibuprofen and 32.4% of subjects using acetaminophen overdosing. Females overdosed significantly more than males. Ingestion on medical advice did not affect the overdose rates significantly. No significant relation was found between the absence of knowledge on the maximum daily dose and actual overdosing. No higher pain reduction was found in patients overdosing analgesics. The average number of days patients experienced pain before consulting the emergency unit was 12. A significant relation was found between the lag time and overdosing.

Conclusions

A large portion of the patients overdosed analgesics. Even prior medical advice did not reduce significantly overdose rates.

Clinical relevance

Dentists treating emergency cases clearly need to be aware of the high risk and high rates of overdosing analgesics in their patients.

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