opioid abuse

Factors that Influence Opioid Prescribing After Teeth Removal

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An interesting article titled “Factors influencing opioid prescribing after tooth extraction,” appears in the  Journal of the American Dental Association written by Douglas R. Oyler and et al. (published June 9, 2022). The article seeks to look at specific characteristics that infuence opioid prescribing after tooth extractions to help potentially lead to less opioid that are uncessarily prescibed. The subect of opioids and wisdom teeth extractions has been covered on this site frequently before, see for example the posts, Record Numbers Predicted to Die from Opioids in the US and Dentists Overprescribing Opioids to Adults in the U.S.. Patients in the U.S. are often first exposed to an opioid prescription from a dentist or dental care provider. Even so nowadays many dentists recommend nonopioid analgesics as the first option against pain reflief. In the article the authors reviewed records from … Read more

FDA warns about dental problems from buprenorphine

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a safety concern regarding the medication buprenorphine which is a medication used to treat opioid use disorder, acute pain, and chronic pain. Buprenorphine is often used to reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms and the desire to use opioids, without causing the cycle of highs and lows associated with abusing opioid. The FDA warning issued on January 12, 2022, states that dental problems have occured when patients take medicines containing buprenorphine that are dissolved in the mouth. In the warning, the FDA said that the dental problems can include those of tooth decay, cavities, loss of teeth, and oral infections, and can occur in those without prior dental issues. As a result of this warning, the risk of dental problems occuring will be added to the prescribing information and the patient Medication Guide … Read more