Most commonly prescribed analgesic among 6 to 12-year-olds after extraction in paediatric dentistry - A retrospective study

Background: Using their expertise in analgesics, the dentist should recommend the best prescription at the right dosage to reduce pain without going overboard. Aim:  To determine the most commonly prescribed analgesics which are used post-extraction for 6 to 12-year-old children Materials & Methods: A total of 4160 patient data was collected from OPD data from the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Saveetha Dental College & Hospital of 6 to 12-year-old children who have gotten dental treatment and have received analgesic medication. The dentist should use his or her knowledge of analgesics to prescribe the most effective drug and appropriate dose to alleviate pain while avoiding overmedication. The treatment records of these patients were assessed and data was analyzed. Descriptive analysis and chi-square tests were performed. Results: The majority of the patients (16.7%) were 9 years old. The most commonly prescribed analgesic was found to be paracetamol (56.6%). The most common combination drug prescribed to children was Paracetamol and Ibuprofen (19.5%). P value for the comparison between gender and age with different types of analgesics [0.0005 (<0.05)] was found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: In both males and females, paracetamol was the most prescribed analgesic and most commonly prescribed analgesic, a combination drug; Paracetamol & Ibuprofen.