The American Dental Association on March 26 launched an interim opioids policy, which supports seven-day limits for opioid prescriptions and mandatory continuing education on prescribing practices for opioids and other controlled substances.
Here are four things to know
1. The policy announcement coincided with the March 26 publication of a study in The Journal of The American Dental Association, which found dental opioid prescriptions increased from 130.58 per 1,000 dental patients in 2010 to 147.44 per 1,000 patients in 2015. During this time, opioid prescribing rates in healthcare settings declined nationally, according to CBS News.
2. ADA President Joseph Crowley, DDS, called on "dentists everywhere to double down on their efforts to prevent opioids from harming our patients and their families."
"This new policy demonstrates the ADA's firm commitment to help fight the country's opioid epidemic while continuing to help patients manage dental pain," Dr. Crowley said. "Working together with physicians, pharmacies, other healthcare professionals, policymakers and the public, we believe it is possible to end this tragic and preventable public health crisis that has been devastating our families and communities."
3. The new policy brings ADA in line with CDC-recommended prescribing guidelines and also promotes the use of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs among dentists.
4. Andrew Kolodny, MD, co-director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University's Heller School in Waltham, Mass., told CBS News limiting dose instead of duration would have made better policy, but said the new ADA interim guidelines "suggests the dentists are stepping up to the plate" to address the opioid crisis.
To learn more about the interim policy, click here.
More articles on opioids:
White House favors single drug for opioid addiction treatment among prisoners: 5 things to know
Texas A&M University Health Science Center creates opioid task force
Tennessee AG butts heads with local DAs over opioid lawsuits: 5 things to know