Opioid prescribing after surgical extraction of teeth in Medicaid patients, 2000–2010.
Given increasing rates of overdose related to opioids, providers' prescribing behavior has come under greater scrutiny. Researchers examined opioid prescribing by dentists after surgical tooth extraction for a cohort of Medicaid patients and found significant variation in the amount of medication prescribed. They suggest that dental care should be one of the areas that is considered when implementing programs to decrease opioid use.