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4 Ways Dentists Can Help With The Opioid Crisis

4 Ways Dentists Can Help With The Opioid Crisis
by Scott Murray

The national opioid crisis and the shocking death toll that comes with it has a lot of people scrambling to determine the best way to deal with the issue. This is especially true for people in medical professions who have to decide when to prescribe medications and determine the dosage.

So, if you're a dentist who deals with this challenge, you might find yourself struggling to find the right answers.
 
Dr. Eli Eliav, DMD, Ph.D., joined a team of experts at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine who studied pain management and opioids for a year. Here are some of his recommendations that came from the research.

1. Ibuprofen and naproxen for molar extraction

Eliav states that typical anti-inflammatory drugs should be the "first line of therapy" for third molar extractions. He finds they can provide adequate pain relief in this situation.

In 2012, 259 million opioid prescriptions were written in the United States, and the dental industry was a significant part of that number. The most common purpose — pain following third molar extractions.

It all adds up to 3.5 million people (around the age of 20) who have already used opioids.

2. Examination before extension

Eliav recommends that if you're going to prescribe opioids, let them last a few days after the procedure. He says that if there is continuous pain beyond that period, then the patient needs further examination before offering additional dosage. The pain could be a result of procedure complications, like an infection.

Read full article on MultiBriefs.