Opioids

Clinicians may finally be responding to the opioid crisis

Dental care providers have significantly reduced the number of opioid prescriptions after oral surgery procedures over a 10-year period, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association.

January 23, 2025

Nonopioids top opioids for 3rd-molar surgery pain

Surgeons often prescribe opioids preemptively, though a combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen may be the preferred choice for pain after third-molar extractions, reports a study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association.

January 23, 2025

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Tramadol: The stealthy tyrant lurking behind pain relief

By Barbara Madej, RPh

Despite its effectiveness in managing pain, Tramadol poses significant risks, especially in dental settings. Barbara Madej, RPh, tells you what you need to know.

December 5, 2024

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Letters, guidance about overdoses may cut opioid prescribing

Alerting clinicians when patients die from a drug overdose may decrease high-dose opioid prescriptions and potentially prevent future casualties, according to a clinical trial recently published in Nature Communications.

January 24, 2024

Highs and lows of opioid prescribing for dental patients

U.S. dentists and oral surgeons still prescribed opioids to millions of patients, according to a recently published study in PLOS One.

November 13, 2023

Dentists to get childhood trauma training to curb opioid crisis

The University of Missouri will virtually train dentists to work with patients who experienced childhood trauma in a move to address the opioid epidemic.

November 6, 2023

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University of Kentucky launches opioid prescription reduction project

By Kate Madden Yee

The University of Kentucky in Lexington has launched a project to reduce the number of opioid prescriptions given to young people.

April 26, 2023

N.C. updates opioid action plan to prevent misuse

By DrBicuspid.com staff writers

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services updated the North Carolina Dental Opioid Action Plan to help dentists prevent the misuse of opioids. The updated plan provides clear steps for dentists, staff members, patients, families, and communities to address the opioid epidemic.

November 28, 2022

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Regional anesthesia cuts opioid use in oral reconstructions

By Melissa Busch

Supplemental regional anesthesia may reduce opioid use in patients following microvascular free flap reconstruction of the oral cavity, according to a study published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

November 14, 2022

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Oral surgeons change opioid-prescribing habits

By Melissa Busch

Though U.S. oral and maxillofacial surgeons decreased overall opioid prescribing by 20% between 2016 and 2019, they wrote more prescriptions for codeine and tramadol, according to a brief communication published on October 9 in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry.

October 10, 2022

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10 reasons why dentists do -- and don't -- prescribe opioids

By Hannah Welk, DrBicuspid.com contributing writer, and Theresa Pablos, editor in chief

From witnessing a family member struggle with substance abuse to performing a procedure on a Friday, dentists have a variety of personal and professional reasons for their opioid prescription habits. A study in the Journal of the American Dental Association highlighted 10 major factors that influence dentists' prescription decisions.

August 9, 2022

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Most ED visits for toothaches result in antibiotics

By Melissa Busch

Most adults and children who visit the emergency department (ED) for toothaches leave with prescriptions for antibiotics, according to a retrospective study published July 6 in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine

July 7, 2022

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