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Opioids Fast Facts

  • According to the CDC, from 1999 to 2020, more than 263,000 people died in the United States from overdoses involving prescription opioids.
  • As of 2019, dentists prescribed approximately 6-8% of opioid analgesics and were the leading source of opioids prescribed to children and adolescents aged 10-19.
  • In recent years, public health and dental organizations have issued updated guidelines and statements on opioids and prescribing practices in response to the opioid crisis. The ADA supports mandatory continuing education on prescribing opioids and supports setting limits on opioid dosage and duration of use. The ADA also encourages the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics (NSAIDs) as the first intervention for treatment of acute pain.
  • Dental students need to be prepared to prescribe opioids responsibly, which includes communicating risks and being aware of signs of misuse.
  • ASDA wants to ensure students are able to effectively discuss opioids with their patients. ASDA encourages:
    • All dental schools to provide education on evidence-based prescribing as outlined in the CODA-accreditation Standards;
    • Dental schools to provide resources for dental students to appropriately address opioids with their patients and
    • The American Dental Education Association to create resources that establish evidence-based prescribing practices for dental school clinics.

Opioid Epidemic (Square)

Opioid Overview

Since the 1990s, when the amount of opioids prescribed to patients began to grow, the number of overdoses and deaths from prescription opioids has also increased. From 1999 to 2022, approximately 294,000 people died in the United States from overdoses involving prescription opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2022, almost 14% of all drug overdose deaths involved prescription opioids. Today, the number of U.S. drug overdoses involving prescription opioids is 4 times higher than in 1999.

As future dentists, dental students need to be prepared to prescribe opioids responsibly, which includes communicating risks and being aware of signs of misuse.

ASDA Policy

ASDA wants to ensure students are able to effectively discuss opioids with their patients. ASDA’s B-13 policy states: 

The American Student Dental Association encourages all dental schools to provide education on evidence-based prescribing as outlined in the CODA-accreditation Standards.

ASDA urges dental schools to provide resources for dental students to appropriately address opioids with their patients. 

ASDA encourages the American Dental Education Association to create resources that establish evidence-based prescribing practices for dental school clinics.

 What has ASDA done?

  • On April 10, 2018, more than 500 ASDA members lobbied Congress to create legislation that would: 
    • Require continuing education for opioid prescribers;
    • Impose prescribing limits of no more than seven days for the initial treatment of acute pain;
    • Support the use of prescription drug monitoring programs and
    • Improve the quality and integrity and interoperability of state prescription drug monitoring programs. 
  • In November 2018, ASDA’s Council on Advocacy hosted the Combatting the Opioid Epidemic webinar to help students effectively discuss the crisis. The webinar provided up-to-date opioid information and examined how experts from different fields are working together against opioids. 

Stay up to date on bills that ASDA supports relating to the opioid epidemic in the Bills tab of ASDA Action. Review past bills ASDA has supported here.

What ASDA Members are Saying:

Resources

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