Opioid Use in Dental & Oral Surgery
Surgical procedures, including third molar extractions are common procedures in which opioid-naïve patients, especially adolescents, are first exposed to opioids. While dentists and oral surgeons strive to compassionately manage patients’ pain, they must do so responsibly to curtail long-term use and misuse, as well as minimize potential diversion from large amounts of leftover prescription opioids. This is especially important among adolescents who are at heightened risk of future opioid misuse.
Many oral and maxillofacial surgery training programs are revising their acute postoperative prescribing protocols to decrease the number of opioids prescribed and promote use of non-opioid alternatives for pain management. Education for providers is essential to changing pain management protocols and mitigating risk of opioid misuse. Education, coupled with open communication with patients to set appropriate expectations and treatment goals, presents an opportunity to optimize clinical outcomes and improve patient satisfaction.
A Way Forward: How Naloxone Saves Lives from Opioid Overdose
Increasing access to naloxone is essential to reducing overdose mortality. Strategies for increasing access must be thoughtfully developed and deployed to ensure that naloxone is available to any at-risk individual—whether that be an individual with chronic pain or someone with a substance use disorder—without the burden of stigma or judgement. CMEO convened an expert panel led by Dr. Mark Gold to discuss barriers and opportunities for distribution of naloxone to those at risk for overdose in the community. This white paper, A Way Forward: How Naloxone Saves Lives from Opioid Overdose reviews the data used by the panelists to establish their positions and recommendations for the way forward.
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Specialty Opioid Education Hubs
Putting Pressure on Opioid Prescribing: Novel Approaches to Pain Management
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Opioids continue to impact all corners of the United States and its communities, a burden that continues to grow at a rapid pace. The current opioid crisis is incredibly challenging for both patients and health care providers (HCPs). There has been a 30% increase in overdoses among men and a 24% increase among women, with all ages affected. While changing these current trends is important, it cannot be accomplished by policy changes alone. There is no one size fits all model for communities to address this crisis. This activity is also available as a podcast>>  |
Time To Listen: What The Experts Have To Say About Safe Opioid Prescribing And Addiction Treatment
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This CME Outfitters activity features insight from this panel of experts on the challenges, consequences, and opportunities for the development of education to help meet the pain management needs of patients amid rising concerns of addiction and diversion. |
Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: Reducing the Burden of Pain in a Changing Treatment Landscape
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Developing actionable steps to promote appropriate prescribing for individuals with acute and chronic pain is imperative to curbing the impact of the growing opioid crisis facing our communities. |
Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: New Approaches to Safe and Effective Pain Management
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In part 2 of this 3-part series, expert faculty focus on the four-step approach that follows the SOAP (Subjective-Objective-Assessment-Plan) approach to pain management, as well as principles of communication with patients experiencing pain in order to help clinicians appropriately prescribe the best therapy for pain management in each patient. |
Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: Principles of Communication and Recognizing Patient Needs
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The conclusion of this 3-part series features expert faculty focusing on a collaborative patient-centered approach in order to guide optimal pain management, which includes applying an evidence-based approach to chronic pain management and improving prescribing practices through pharmacovigilance. |
Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: A Call to Action to Save Our Communities
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Join Dr. Gold and Dr. Stanos in augmented reality illustration of pain management strategies to optimize safe and responsible management of acute and chronic pain. This activity is also available as a podcast>>  |
Shifting Perspectives on Pain Management in Oral Surgery
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In this free CME Snack, Dr. Gold and Dr. Abubaker share insights on alternative pain management strategies for oral pain with a focus on finding a balance between compassion for patient care and patient safety. This activity is also available as a podcast>> |
Rethinking Standing Orders for Opioids to Manage Pain in Adolescents and Young Adults Requiring Third Molar Extraction
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The first installment of this CME Outfitters BriefCase series on non-opioid pain management focuses on how to choose safe and effective pain management strategies for dental postsurgical pain by aligning pain management practices to evidence-based recommendations for a rational, multimodal approach to analgesia. |
Getting a Head Start on Pain: Simple Changes to Your Pre-Procedure Workflow for Assessing Misuse and Diversion of Opioids
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This CME Outfitters BriefCase activity focuses on when to use validated tools to assess patients for risk of misuse and diversion of opioids as well as strategies for engaging patients in the management of their pain. |
What Should They Expect? Making Time to Talk to Patients About Pain Before Their Dental Procedure
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In the third installment of this CME Outfitters BriefCase series on non-opioid pain management, expert faculty share strategies for educating patients and managing their expectations, setting clear goals, as well as best practices for patient engagement. Further discussion illustrates the importance of post-operative follow-up and practical information on safe storage and disposal of unused medication. By engaging patients in an open discussion, clinicians effectively partner with their patients and the community as a whole to be a resource for health and wellness. |
Resources
- OTC Analgesics for the Management of Acute Pain: Clinical Experience in the Era of the Opioid Crisis
- Adult Dosing Chart
- Understanding Your Drug Facts Labels
- Taking an OTC NSAID
- Taking Prescription Acetaminophen
- How to Properly Dispose of Your Unused Medicines
- List of Medicines Recommended for Flushing
- Controlled Substance Public Disposal Locations
- Do Your Health Conditions Affect Your OTC Pain Reliever Choice?
Resources for Teens and College Students
Teens
College Students
Animations
Understanding Addiction
The Addiction Policy Forum is a nationwide nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating addiction as a major health problem. Our national headquarters are located in Washington, DC with resources and services in every state.
Why are Drugs So Hard to Quit?
The Disease Model of Addiction
Naloxone Toolkit
Naloxone Administration
Naloxone Facts
Addiction & the Brain
Facts About Drugs of Abuse
Reading Room
- Schroeder AR, Dehghan M, Newman TB, Bentley JP, Park KT. Association of opioid prescriptions from dental clinicians for US adolescents and adults with subsequent opioid use and abuse. JAMA Intern Med. 2019;179(2):145-152.
- Tompach PC, Wagner CL, Sunstrum B, Nadeau RA, Tu HK. Investigation of an opioid prescriber protocol after third molar extraction procedures. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2019;77:705-714.
- Mutlu I, Abubaker AO, Laskin DM. Narcotic prescribing habits and other methods of pain control by oral maxillofacial surgeons after impacted third molar removal. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2013;71(():1500-1503.
- Al-Khteeb TH, Alnahar A. Pain Experience After Simple Tooth Extraction. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008;66(5):911-917.
- Overton HN, Hanna MN, Bruhn WE, et al. Opioid-prescribing guidelines for common surgical procedures: an expert panel consensus. J Am Coll Surg. 2018;227(4):411-418.
Blog
Brainstorming Opioid Addiction through Merged Perspectives: Learnings from Roundtable Discussions
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According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 115 people die each day in the United States due to an opioid overdose. To better understand the nation’s current epidemic, CME Outfitters recently brought together the perspectives of those most impacted by opioids in hopes of creating more effective strategies to avoid addiction in the coming years. These roundtable discussions, hosted by CME Outfitters, first pulled the experiences of both patients and their loved ones who have been affected by opioid dependency. Read more about the the four key takeaways that we learned. |
From Analytics to Understanding: A Look Into Our 3D Pain Animation’s Debut at CME Outfitters’ Opioid Epidemic Premiere Symposium
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Family medicine providers are uniquely qualified to lead the charge for precise and responsible prescribing for acute and chronic pain. Family medicine is at the forefront of managing chronic illness, handling comorbidities, and coordinating care for their patients. A recent live meeting held at the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP) used an animated 3-D model that learners were able to move, rotate, and zoom as they explored acute and chronic pain pathways. |
