100 million opioids go unused annually after tooth extraction

More than half of opioids prescribed to patients following surgical tooth extraction were left unused by patients in a new study from the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine.
The authors say the surplus is troubling given the ongoing opioid epidemic and evidence showing that people who abuse prescription opioids often use leftover pills prescribed for friends or family members. The study suggests that prescription disposal kiosks in pharmacies and small financial incentives may increase proper disposal of opioids by more than 20 percent.
“When translated to the broad U.S. population, our findings suggest that more than 100 million opioid pills prescribed to patients following surgical removal of impacted wisdom teeth are not used, leaving the door open for possible abuse or misuse by patients, or their friends or family,” said lead author Brandon C. Maughan, MD, an emergency physician and health services researcher at The Lewin Group, a health policy consulting firm. “Given the increasing concern about prescription opioid abuse in the United States, all prescribers — including physicians, oral surgeons and dental clinicians — have a responsibility to limit opioid exposure, to explain the risks of opioid misuse, and educate patients on proper drug disposal.”
Within five days of surgery, most patients had relatively little pain, and yet, most still had well over half of their opioid prescription left, said Elliot Hersh, DMD, a professor in the department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Pharmacology at Penn Dental Medicine, and a co-author on the study.
“Research shows that prescription-strength NSAIDs, like ibuprofen, combined with acetaminophen, can offer more effective pain relief and fewer adverse effects than opioid-containing medications, Hersh said. "While opioids can play a role in acute pain management after surgery, they should only be added in limited quantities for more severe pain.”
Additional results showed that offering information specific to a drug disposal program led to a 22 percent increase in the number of patients who had either properly disposed of or planned to properly dispose leftover opioids.
Source: University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine: uphs.upenn.edu/news