RI State Dentist on Reducing Opioid Prescriptions Among Dentists -- and Use in Dental Patients

RI State Dentist on Reducing Opioid Prescriptions Among Dentists -- and Use in Dental Patients

Rhode Island state dentist Dr. Sam Zwetchkenbaum appeared on GoLcoal LIVE where he spoke to efforts by the state to reduce opioid prescribing among dentists. 

Zwetchkenbaum spoke to a recent study that showed that over-the-counter pain medications are more effective than prescription opioid pain medication -- and that young adults who are prescribed opioids by their dentists are more likely to have substance abuse problems. 

More than 70,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2017, according to the Center for Disease Control.

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"The researchers looked at roughly 800,000 young adults (11-18 year-olds) who were prescribed opioids for dental care. The findings were that roughly 6% of these young adults then had a healthcare encounter that indicated there was a dependency issue (the child had an “opioid-abuse related diagnosis”), said Zwetchkenbaum. "The numbers are startling, given that these are kids, and given that the researchers were only looking at opioid prescriptions for dental care (not all healthcare)."