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This paper aims to describe the factors associated with self-medication related to toothache in the city of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. The investigation was designed as a cross-sectional study. The sample was random selected among the pharmacies registered in the Regional Pharmacy Council of Pernambuco and distributed over the Health Districts. The level of knowledge of the pharmacy personnel about self-medication related to toothache was analyzed. One hundred and seventy nine professionals from 120 establishments were interviewed. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire. According to the results, 67.0% of the interviewees had attended individuals relating orofacial pain in the last six months, among them 91.6% relating toothache; 83.7% male and 73.3% female personnel had indicated medications for toothache without prescription; personnel with high-school level indicated more medications without prescription (48.6%) The study concludes that to buy pain relievers without prescription including for toothache is common and reinforces the need of informing the population about the correct use of these medicaments.