Compendium of continuing education in dentistry
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Tapentadol HCI is an opioid (narcotic) analgesic, which also inhibits norepinephrine reuptake. While it appears to display a somewhat lower incidence of nausea and constipation than oxycodone 10 mg to 15 mg, its analgesic efficacy in acute postsurgical dental pain is inferior to ibuprofen 400 mg. Like other single-entity opioids, tapentadol should not be used as a first-line agent for postsurgical dental pain but can be employed as an add-on drug for breakthrough pain in patients already using a regimen of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and/or acetaminophen.