Opioid use in the U.S. is rampant despite
the fact that these medications can be misused, abused and have significant
side effects. Unfortunately, during the spring and summer months, even more
opioids will be prescribed as thousands of high school
graduates and college students plan to visit an oral surgeon for procedures,
including wisdom tooth removal.
A
new national survey of parents and patients conducted by Nielsen found:
An overwhelming majority
of patients (70%) who had their wisdom teeth removed were prescribed an opioid
for their pain management
7 in 10 patients would
have opted for a non-opioid medication if given the choice
80% would select a
non-opioid option even if the cost was higher
These insights convey patient demands for
non-opioid medications and the need for oral surgeons to discuss these options
with patients.
I have a chance to post an interview with Dr. B.D. Tiner, a Board-Certified Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgeon who uses non-opioid medications for patients undergoing wisdom teeth
extraction and other oral surgeries. He discusses why it’s important for
patients and caregivers to explore non-opioid pain management options with
their surgeon prior to their procedure, and how this effort can help curb the
opioid epidemic that is killing 91 Americans each day, according to the CDC.
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