By Ernie Mundell
Many opioid abusers cite short-term, legitimate use of an opioid for relief of joint or dental pain as their “gateway” into addiction.
Now, research done at one New York State clinic finds that dentists can cut their use of opioids down to zero, using other painkillers for patients instead.
The end result: “No opioids were prescribed for dental pain from March 2021 to February 2022,” reported a team of dentists at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
“Considering that 1,800 patients received more than 20,000 opioid pills annually in our clinic before implementation of the opioid reduction strategy, eliminating opioid prescriptions may mean that approximately 105 individuals annually will not develop new and persistent opioid use associated with treatment at our clinic,” concluded the team led by Dr. Yanfang Ren. He is professor and clinical chief at the university’s Howitt Urgent Dental Care….