New Approaches to Pain Management.

Opioid addiction has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and it is thought that the problem started with the prescription for legal pain medications by health care professionals, particularly for treating patients who had undergone surgery. To reduce the reliance on opioids in dental pain management, increase use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other adjunctive techniques have emerged. The use of NSAIDs, transdermal and transmucosal patches are presented. Understanding the rational for these different approaches requires a basic knowledge of the molecular biology of dental pain.