Opioid Prescribing After Surgical Extraction of Teeth in Medicaid Patients, 2000-2010

oral morphine equivalents prescribed.Although a limited supply of opioids may be required for some patients following tooth extraction, these data suggest that disproportionally large amounts of opioids are frequently prescribed given the expected intensity and duration of postextraction pain, particularly as nonopioid analgesics may be more effective in this setting.5 This study has limitations.Findings based on data from Medicaid claims may not generalize to a commercially insured population.Also, the final year of the study was 2010, and it is possible that dental prescribing practices have changed somewhat since that time.This common dental procedure may represent an important area of excessive opioid prescribing in the United States.As the nation implements programs to reduce excessive prescribing of opioid medications, it will be important to include dental care in these approaches.