Opioid and non-opioid analgesics prescription patterns by dentists in the United States

In the United States, prescription opioids have been a major problem that contributed to the opioid crisis in the country. As dentists prescribe analgesics routinely for dental pain management, further investigation into opioid and non-opioid prescription patterns by dentists on a national level is needed. This research project aimed to examine 1) the trends in opioid and non-opioid analgesic prescriptions by dentists in the US,2) to examine the racial-ethnic disparities in receiving an opioid and non-opioid prescription from a dental professional, 3) the effect of federal Rescheduling of hydrocodone combination on opioid prescription patterns by dentists in a school setting. Data on analgesic prescriptions by dentists were obtained using medical panel survey MEPS (1996- 2015), and Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine clinical repository (2010 -2019). On average about 31,206 individuals of all ages were interviewed for MEPS each year. The trend in analgesics prescription was reported weighted numbers and proportions of total and dental analgesics prescriptions were reported. Kendall tau correlation test was used to examine trends in the rate of opioid prescriptions per 100 persons over survey years. Racial differences were examined using MEPS data (2002-2015) on dental analgesic prescriptions, dental care utilization, patients’ race, and other demographic information. The outcome was analgesic prescription received. The main independent variable was the patients’ race/ethnicity. Covariates included in the analysis were gender, age, marital status, income, geographical region, and survey year. Using BUSDM data (2010-2019) we examined 12,807 patients who received an opioid prescription from a dentist. The primary outcome variables were opioid prescriptions and opioid morphine milligram equivalent (MME). The primary predictor used is the date of opioid prescription (Time before and after the intervention). To assess the effect of hydrocodone medication reclassification on the outcome variables we used an interrupted time series (ITS) analysis with a segmented regression model. Our results showed a decrease in the proportion of dental opioids out of total opioids from 9.76% in 1996 to 4.5% in 2015. Kendall tau correlation indicated an increase in prescribing rate over the years in total opioids but not in dental opioids. Racial differences were found in opioid prescriptions by dentists with whites having a lower risk of receiving an opioid analgesic compared to other racial minorities. The effect of federal rescheduling of hydrocodone combination on opioid prescription patterns by dentists showed specifically a reduction in non-hydrocodone opioids prescribing rate by morphine milligram equivalent (MME). In conclusion dentists’ contribution to the increase in prescription opioids in the United States seem to be limited compared to other health care professionals. Nevertheless, racial differences were found in whites when compared to other racial minorities. Efforts to curb the use of opioids should be encouraged even more so with evidence supporting the effectiveness of non-opioids analgesics in control of dental pain.2022-12-09T00:00:00

Efficiency of activated charcoal powder in stain removal and effect on surface roughness compared to whitening toothpaste in resin composite: In vitro study

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of activated charcoal powder on extrinsic stain removal and its effect on surface roughness in stained resin composite in comparison with whitening toothpaste. Materials and methods: Sixty-six disk-shaped composite specimens were fabricated using a custom-made ring mold. The specimens were stained using a coffee solution and stored in distilled water at 37 °C. The specimens were divided randomly into two groups, Group 1: Thirty-Three disks were subjected to brushing using whitening toothpaste (Control), and Group 2: Thirty-Three disks were subjected to brushing using charcoal powder. Specimens were evaluated for surface color and surface roughness at baseline after staining protocol and after the brushing process. Results: Changes in color and surface roughness were highly significant (p < 0.0001) after brushing with activated charcoal powder and whitening toothpaste. However, no significant differences were found in color (p = 0.90) and surface roughness (p = 0.33) between the two bleaching techniques. Conclusion: The changes in the color and surface roughness of resin composite was significant after brushing with activated charcoal powder and whitening toothpaste. However, there were no significant differences between the two techniques

Parents’ awareness towards preventive and interceptive orthodontic treatment

Abstract Objectives This study aims to assess the awareness and acceptance of preventive and interceptive orthodontic treatment among Saudi perents. Methods The study used a 29-question questionnaire, covering parents’ demographic data, parents’ awareness of malocclusion and habits, and parents’ acceptance of treatment. It included visuals of different malocclusions, normal occlusion, and specific habits. Results Parents mostly recognized single anterior tooth crossbite (95.78%) as a problem that need early intervention, followed by skeletal Class II (94.16%) and severe lower incisor crowding (93.51%). Regarding oral habits, parents were most aware of thumb sucking (91.03%), followed by tongue thrusting (84.22%). Ninety seven percent of participating parents expressed high acceptance of early orthodontic intervention, mostly to avoid more complicated treatment or surgery. However, a few parents refused early treatment, mainly because they preferred to wait until the eruption of all permanent teeth. Conclusions The majority of parents demonstrated a high level of awareness and willingness to pursue early treatment