Combined Analgesic Regime — ORE Part 1 MCQ

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EasyPharmacology & TherapeuticsCombined Analgesic RegimeORE Part 1

An adult has moderate pain after routine dental treatment. They have no relevant medical conditions, drug allergies or contraindications to analgesics. Which is the most appropriate initial analgesic regimen?

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Correct answer: E — Ibuprofen 400 mg with paracetamol 1 g

Explanation lettering: E = shown as A · A = shown as E

A is correct. NICE recommends multimodal analgesia for postoperative pain, specifically including dental surgery, and advises oral paracetamol and oral ibuprofen. Thus ibuprofen 400 mg with paracetamol 1 g is the best initial non-opioid regimen for moderate dental pain in this patient. B and C introduce opioids despite suitable first-line non-opioid options; opioids are not the preferred initial choice and add adverse-effect and dependence risks. D contains aspirin, which is not preferred for routine dental analgesia and may be undesirable where bleeding is relevant. E combines two opioids, providing no appropriate first-line multimodal non-opioid strategy and increasing opioid toxicity risk. The key discriminator is use of ibuprofen plus full adult-dose paracetamol.

Reference: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Perioperative care in adults (NG180), recommendations 1.6.2, 1.6.5 and 1.6.7; updated opioid recommendation July 2025. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng180/chapter/Recommendations