Research study · Australian Dental Journal · 2022
Cannabinoid therapeutics in orofacial pain management: a systematic review
Verified on PubMed Systematic review or meta-analysis
A 2022 systematic review in Australian Dental Journal tested cannabinoids in pain. Of five included RCTs, only one reported a significant effect on TMD pain relief using a topical 20% CBD formulation compared to placebo. This review reinforces that conventional pain relievers remain the standard for acute dental discomfort while signaling a need to wait.
In plain language
Study overview
While current systemic and oral cannabinoid formulations lack robust evidence for managing acute orofacial and post-operative dental pain, topical transdermal CBD demonstrates potential for localized myofascial temporomandibular disorder pain. Integrative clinicians should prioritize conventional first-line agents like NSAIDs for acute dental pain while awaiting higher-quality trials on localized topical cannabinoid therapies.
Findings
Of five included RCTs, only one reported a significant effect on TMD pain relief using a topical 20% CBD formulation compared to placebo. Four articles reported no significant analgesic effects for cannabinoids compared to placebo across various orofacial pain conditions. Systemic and oral synthetic cannabinoids (nabilone, AZD1940, GW842166) and intravenous THC failed to show superior pain relief compared to placebo. NSAIDs (naproxen, ibuprofen) consistently outperformed or matched comparators when evaluated in third-molar extraction models.
The deeper readScientific analysis
The objective of this paper was to investigate the published evidence regarding effects of cannabinoids (natural and synthetic) on post-operative and/or out-of-office pain management in patients suffering from orofacial pain that presents in the dental setting. Three online databases (Ovid (MEDLINE), PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus) were searched (July 2021). Additional studies were sought through grey literature searching (Cochrane Library Trials and ClinicalTrials.gov) and hand-searching the reference lists of included articles. All studies that analysed cannabinoid products and pain management of conditions that present in the general or specialist dental setting in the English language were included. Of the five articles included, one reported a significant effect on temporomandibular disorder pain relief using a topical cannabidiol formulation compared to a placebo. Four articles reported no significant effects of cannabinoids for pain management across various orofacial pain conditions. Although one study reported a positive effect, insufficient evidence exists to support a tangible clinical benefit of cannabinoids in managing orofacial pain, further research is recommended to investigate the benefits of cannabinoids' use.
The paper
Citation
Votrubec C, Tran P, Lei A, Brunet Z, Bean L, Olsen BW, et al. Cannabinoid therapeutics in orofacial pain management: a systematic review. Australian Dental Journal (2022). PubMed 36082517 · DOI
Limitations the authors noted
High heterogeneity in study design, sampling populations, cannabinoid types, and routes of administration. Small sample sizes and high dropout rates in some included studies. Risk of bias ranging from some concerns to high risk in several included trials.
In practice
Why this matters
This review reinforces that conventional pain relievers remain the standard for acute dental discomfort while signaling a need to wait on stronger evidence before adopting topical CBD as a routine treatment.
Browse related research
Condition: Pain Topic: Cannabinoids Topic: CBD
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Reviewed by Dr. Caplan on October 4, 2026.
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