The American Dental Association (ADA) announced a new policy on opioids supporting mandates on prescription limits and continuing education.
According to the ADA press release, the policy states:
- The ADA supports mandatory continuing education in prescribing opioids and other controlled substances.
- The ADA supports statutory limits on opioid dosage and duration of no more than seven days for the treatment of acute pain, consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention evidence-based guidelines.
- The ADA supports dentists registering with and utilizing Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) to promote the appropriate use of opioids and deter misuse and abuse.
New data published in the April issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) continue to shed light on opioid prescriptions from a dental perspective:
- Benefits and Harms Associated with Analgesic Medications Used in the Management of Acute Dental Pain: Authors examined five systematic reviews and concluded non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen are equal or superior to using opioids for dental pain.
- Opioid Prescribing Practices from 2010 through 2015 Among Dentists in the United States: Authors from the ADA Health Policy Institute used data in several existing databases to review opioid prescription claims from 2010 to 2015 for about 1.1 million privately insured dental patients.
- Gender and Race/Ethnic Disparities in Opioid Prescriptions for Dental Diagnoses among Patients with Medicaid: Authors reviewed claims of more than 890,000 Medicaid patients from 13 states between 2013 and 2015.
Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry has been examining this issue in-depth and has an expansive online clinical library on the management of opioids from practicing experts:
CE: Opioid Prescribing in Dentistry: Keys for Safe and Proper Usage
Raymond Dionne, DDS, PhD; and Paul Moore, DMD, PhD, MPH
Roundtable: When are Opioids Indicated for Postoperative Analgesia in Dental Practice?
Raymond A. Dionne, DDS, PhD; Gary Warburton, DDS, MD; and Asma Khan, BDS, PhD
CE: Prescribing Opioid Analgesics for Acute Dental Pain: Time to Change Clinical Practices in Response to Evidence and Misperceptions
Raymond A. Dionne, DDS, PhD; Sharon M. Gordon, DDS, MPH; and Paul A. Moore, DMD, PhD, MPH
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