Opioid Prescribing by Dentists in the Veterans Health Administration

Risk factors for oral infection and dry socket post-tooth extraction in medically complex patients in the absence of antibiotic prophylaxis: A case-control study

INTRODUCTION

Dry socket and infection are complications of tooth extractions. The objective was to determine risk factors for post-extraction complications in patients without antibiotic prophylaxis stratified by early- and late-complications and complication type (oral infection and dry socket).

METHODS

Retrospective, case (with complications)-control (without complications) study of patients (n = 708) who had ≥1 extraction performed at any Veterans Health Administration facility between 2015-2019 and were not prescribed an antibiotic 30 days pre-extraction.

RESULTS

Early complication cases (n = 109) were more likely to be female [odds ratio (OR) = 2.06; 95% confidence interval (CI):1.05-4.01], younger (OR = 0.29; 95% CI:0.09-0.94 patients ≥ 80 years old, reference:18-44 years), Native American/Alaska Native (OR = 21.11; 95% CI:2.33-191.41) and have fewer teeth extracted (OR = 0.53 3+ teeth extracted; 95% CI:0.31-0.88, reference:1 tooth extracted). Late complication cases (n = 67) were more likely to have a bipolar diagnosis (OR = 2.98; 95% CI:1.04-8.57), history of implant placement (OR = 8.27; 95% CI:1.63-41.82), and history of past smoking (OR = 2.23; 95% CI:1.28-3.88).

CONCLUSION

Predictors for post-extraction complications among patients who did not receive antibiotic prophylaxis were similar to prior work in cohorts who received prophylaxis. Unique factors identified in a medically complex population included being younger, Native American/Alaska Native, having mental health conditions, history of a dental implant, and fewer teeth extracted.

Association between the COVID-19 outbreak and opioid prescribing by U.S. dentists

BACKGROUND

U.S. data on opioid prescribing by dentists are limited to 2019. More recent data are needed to understand the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on dental opioid prescribing, characterize current practices, and determine if dental opioid stewardship initiatives are still warranted.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association between the COVID-19 outbreak and the rate of opioid prescribing by U.S. dentists.

METHODS

During February-April 2023, the authors conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription Database, which reports 92% of prescriptions dispensed in U.S. retail pharmacies. The authors calculated the monthly dental opioid dispensing rate, defined as the monthly number of dispensed opioid prescriptions from dentists per 100,000 U.S. individuals, during January 2016-February 2020 and June 2020-December 2022. To prevent distortions in trends, data from March-May 2020, when dental opioid dispensing declined sharply, were excluded. Using linear segmented regression models, the authors assessed for level and slope changes in the dental opioid dispensing rate during June 2020.

RESULTS

Analyses included 81,189,605 dental opioid prescriptions. The annual number of prescriptions declined from 16,105,634 in 2016 to 8,910,437 in 2022 (-44.7%). During January 2016-February 2020, the dental opioid dispensing rate declined -3.9 (95% CI: -4.3, -3.6) per month. In June 2020, this rate abruptly increased by 31.4 (95% CI: 19.3, 43.5) and the monthly decline in the dental opioid dispensing rate slowed to -2.1 (95% CI: -2.6, -1.6) per month. As a result, 6.1 million more dental opioid prescriptions were dispensed during June 2020-December 2022 than would be predicted had trends during January 2016-February 2020 continued.

DISCUSSION

U.S. dental opioid prescribing is declining, but the rate of this decline slowed after the COVID-19 outbreak. Findings highlight the continued importance of dental opioid stewardship initiatives.

Adverse outcomes associated with opioid prescription by dentists in the Veterans Health Administration: A national cross-sectional study from 2015 to 2018

OBJECTIVES

Opioids prescribed by dentists have been associated with serious adverse events, including opioid-related overdose and mortality. However, the downstream outcomes of opioids prescribed by dentists to Veterans who are at high risk for opioid misuse and overdose have yet to be determined.

METHODS

This was a national cross-sectional analysis of opioids associated with dental visits within the Veterans Health Administration from 2015 to 2018. Overprescribing was defined per guidelines as >120 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) or >3 days supply. The association of dental visit and patient characteristics was modeled separately for opioid-related poisoning and all-cause mortality using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Of 137,273 Veterans prescribed an opioid by a dentist, 0.1% and 1.1% were associated with opioid-related poisoning and mortality, respectively. There was no difference in opioid poisoning within 6 months for Veterans with opioid prescriptions >120 MME (aOR = 1.25 [CI: 0.89-1.78]), but poisoning decreased in Veterans prescribed opioids >3-days supply (aOR = 0.68 [CI: 0.49-0.96]). However, Veterans with opioids >120 MME were associated with higher odds of mortality within 6 months (aOR = 1.17 [95% CI: 1.05-1.32]) while there was no difference in prescriptions >3-days supply (aOR = 1.12 [CI: 0.99-1.25]).

CONCLUSION

Serious opioid-related adverse events were rare in Veterans and lower than other reports in the literature. Since nonopioid analgesics have superior efficacy for the treatment of acute dental pain, prescribing opioid alternatives may decrease opioid-related poisoning. Strategies for dentists to identify patients at high risk should be incorporated into the dental record.