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Dentists prescribe 1 in 10 opioid prescriptions in the United States. This study looks at 542,958 patient visits between 2011 and 2015 to assess the appropriate prescribing of opioids by dentists before guideline implementation. It was found that 29 percent of prescribed opioids exceeded the recommended morphine equivalents for appropriate management of acute pain. In the future, opioid-prescribing interventions should be tailored toward dentists and oral health conditions.
A study published in the British Medical Journal found that in the United States the top 1 percent of opioid prescribers are responsible for 49 percent of all opioid doses and 27 percent of all opioid prescriptions. The study examined an annual average of 669,495 providers prescribing 8.9 million opioid prescriptions to 3.9 million patients from 2003 through 2017. The study concluded that while most providers are careful when prescribing opioids, interventions to reduce inappropriate opioid prescribing should be focused on improving patient care, management of patients with complex pain and reducing comorbidities.
The purpose of the guide is to arm rural leaders with information they can put into immediate action to create change. It provides background information, recommended action steps and promising practices to help manage the impact of substance use disorder on local communities and help persons with the disease of addiction. The topics are based on lessons learned from Department of Agriculture rural roundtable discussions held in over a dozen states, as well as the experiences of several rural stakeholder partners.
A series of rural roundtables will be held to discuss the guide. The first will be Feb. 19, in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
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