April 28, 2024

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Researchers propose a promising alternative to opioids for a new approach to toothache

Researchers propose a promising alternative to opioids for a new approach to toothache



 

Researchers propose a promising alternative to opioids for a new approach to toothache


As the opioid crisis persists during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study from the Eastman Institute of Oral Health (EIOH) at the University of Rochester Medical Center offers hope for a non-opioid solution to acute toothache.

 

Researchers propose a promising alternative to opioids for a new approach to toothache

 

 

Between 2019 and 2020, deaths from prescription opioids climbed more than 16 percent, and they account for about 18 percent of all opioid overdose deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open , looked at two sizable patient populations, including equal numbers of men and women aged 18 to 93, who attended the institute’s Howitt Urgent Dental Care in Rochester, New York. Tooth extraction in clinic.

 

“We hypothesized that using a combination of non-opioid pain relievers with the addition of gabapentin for pain relief would be an effective strategy to minimize or eliminate the effects of opioids on tooth pain,” said Yanfang Ren, PhD, professor and clinical director of the Howitt Urgent Dental Care Center. Say.

 

In 2012, 3,300 people in the first group used ibuprofen or acetaminophen to manage mild pain. For moderate to severe pain, patients are given higher doses of ibuprofen or a combination of opioids, such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, or codeine.

 

However, a second group of about 3,800 patients who had tooth extractions between March 2021 and February 2022 received no opioids at all.

 

The second group received the same prescription of acetaminophen or ibuprofen for mild pain. For moderate to severe pain, a higher dose of ibuprofen or a combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen is given.

 

In 2012, opioid combinations were commonly prescribed to people who were unable to take ibuprofen or acetaminophen due to health difficulties or potential complications of their current prescription; however, in 2022, gabapentin combinations were used as a non-opioid combination alternatives.

The results were promising when the efficacy was examined using a real-world measure, the percentage of patients who returned for further pain treatment after receiving prescription analgesics.

 

Dr Ren said: “Despite the NSAIDs recommended by the American Dental Association for pain management, dentists frequently prescribe opioids for dental pain and contribute significantly to new and ongoing opioid use. It may be partly due to a lack of alternatives to opioids, especially when ibuprofen or acetaminophen are ineffective or intolerable.”

 

“This study represents an ongoing effort by our team and other dentists to minimize opioid use in dental pain,” said Dr. Eli Eliav, EIOH director and pain specialist. “More research, preferably randomized controlled clinical trials, is needed to confirm the safety and efficacy of this approach. We have a responsibility to continually seek safe and effective treatments for patients with pain.”

 

 

 

 

 

Researchers propose a promising alternative to opioids for a new approach to toothache

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