Wheatgrass may be Potential Alternative for Acute Dental Pain Relief, suggests study

Written By : Dr. Shravani Dali Published On 2026-02-11T21:00:42+05:30 | Updated On 11 Feb 2026 9:00 PM IST

Researchers have found in a new study that given its natural origin, Wheatgrass (WG) may be a promising adjunct or alternative to conventional NSAIDs for short-term management of acute dental pain in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis, offering potential analgesic benefits with a different safety profile.

The purpose of this randomized clinical trial was to compare the analgesic effectiveness of sublingual administration of wheatgrass (WG) and piroxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), for patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis, with or without apical periodontitis. Forty-five patients aged 18–40 years were recruited and randomly allocated into three groups receiving the sublingual drug administration: Group 1—WG (500 mg); Group 2—Piroxicam (20 mg); Group 3—Placebo sugar tablet (20 mg) (control). Pain intensity was assessed using the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS; 0–10) prior to administration and again 30 min after the respective interventions. The onset of analgesic action was also recorded for each participant. Statistical comparisons among the groups were conducted using one-way ANOVA with the significance threshold set at p < 0.05. Both sublingual WG and piroxicam demonstrated significantly greater reductions in pain scores compared with the placebo group after 30 min. Notably, participants receiving WG exhibited a significantly higher degree of pain reduction than those receiving piroxicam. These findings suggest that WG may offer a rapid and effective analgesic response when administered sublingually. Given its natural origin, WG may serve as a promising adjunct or alternative to conventional NSAIDs for the short-term management of acute dental pain associated with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis.

Reference:

Sabah, S., Shobana, K., Mitthra, S. et al. Evaluation of the analgesic effect of sublingual administration of wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum) extract for dental pain management in irreversible pulpitis: a randomized clinical trial. Odontology (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10266-026-01323-5

Keywords:

Wheatgrass, Potential, Alternative, Acute, Dental Pain, Relief, Sabah, S., Shobana, K., Mitthra, S, Piroxicam, Sublingual, Irreversible pulpitis, Dental pain, Pain management

WheatgrassPotentialAlternativeAcuteDental PainReliefOdontology

Source : Odontology

Dr. Shravani Dali

Dr. Shravani Dali has completed her BDS from Pravara institute of medical sciences, loni. Following which she extensively worked in the healthcare sector for 2+ years. She has been actively involved in writing blogs in field of health and wellness. Currently she is pursuing her Masters of public health-health administration from Tata institute of social sciences. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.