U.S. Dentists Prescribe 37 Times More Opioids Than in England: Study

FRIDAY, May 24, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Despite the nation's opioid epidemic, U.S. dentists are far more likely to prescribe addictive opioid painkillers than their British counterparts, a new study reveals.

In 2016, American dentists wrote 37 times as many opioid prescriptions as British dentists: 1.4 million versus 28,000.

And while 22% of all prescriptions from American dentists were for opioids, that figure was 0.6% in England. Dentists are one of the most frequent prescribers of opioids in the United States, second only to family practitioners, according to the study.

"We have all probably had the experience of a terrible toothache," said lead author Katie Suda, an associate professor of pharmacy at the University of Illinois in Chicago. "But all dentists treat pain worldwide, so we would not expect a large difference in which pain medication is prescribed, and our results show that U.S. dentists prescribe opioids more frequently than is likely needed."

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