New ways ahead?

No matter what we do as dental professionals, there is no way of avoiding the fact that our patients experience some pain or discomfort before, during or after treatment. There are various ways to minimise the severity and longevity of patients’ pain as a result of procedures, which include the techniques and technologies we employ, as well as our own professional training and skill level. However, I was interested to come across a new study recently that considered the potential of cannabidiol (CBD) as an alternative analgesic for acute dental pain.

The study considered 64 subjects between 18 and 75 years old, testing Epidiolex (an FDA-approved CBD oral solution) against a placebo control group. The Epidiolex group was split into two, assessing a 10-mg//kg single dose (CBD10 group) and a 20-mg/kg single dose (CBD20 group) to evaluate the strength of the dose needed for maximum effect.