Up to half of opioids given out by U.S. dentists are unnecessary and inappropriate, according to University of Pittsburgh data cited by NPR.
Though overall prescription rates have declined significantly since peaking in 2012, about 40 Americans died each day in 2018 after taking prescription opioids, according to the most recent CDC data.
Up to 10 percent of medical opioids distributed in the U.S. each year are now prescribed by dentists, said Katie Suda, PharmD, lead researcher on the University of Pittsburgh project. She also said dentists are the primary opioid prescribers for adolescents and young adults, who are at high risk for opioid misuse.
Dentists regularly prescribe opioids after routine wisdom teeth extractions, despite evidence that patients experience equal relief using other treatments, according to a study by Michigan researchers cited by NPR.
Dr. Suda said many dentists prescribe a few more tablets than necessary so they don't have to rewrite the prescription during follow-ups. However, when dentists across the U.S. make that choice again and again, roughly 14 million extra opioid tablets are put into circulation each year, according to University of Pittsburgh data.