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  • Writer's pictureLisa Chan, DDS

Medication Mayhem in Dentistry Part I: Prescription Drug Use Unveiled

Welcome to the first of several series dedicated to exposing the hidden safety hazards within dentistry. Our inaugural installment is an exploration of the dark side of medications that every dentist must confront, whether they’re aware of it or not.


Over the next few weeks, you’ll learn eye-opening information about how drug use meaningfully affects dental practice. Today, we’ll start with the basic - yet surprising - facts about prescription drug use.


Prescription Drug Use in the U.S.

Did you know that more than 161 million people - roughly ⅔ of all adults in the United States - take at least one prescription drug? According to the Centers for Disease Control, this number increases dramatically with age, with nearly 90% of adults > 65 years old taking at least one drug, and 42% taking five or more.

Infographic about prescription drug use in the U.S.
Quick stats about prescription drug use in the U.S.

Adverse drug events (ADEs) are common, dangerous, and preventable. Each year, ADEs account for nearly 700,000 emergency department visits and 100,000 hospitalizations, per a recent Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality report, and 60% of ADEs are reportedly preventable. Another study showed that 18% of ADEs are associated with drug-drug interactions. This study also found that the most common drugs that caused ADEs were antibiotics.


Infographic about adverse drug events
Quick stats about adverse drug events.

Relevance to Dentistry

Why is this important for us dentists to know? Although these data are from the inpatient setting, dentists are among the top outpatient prescribers of these medications, accounting for 10% each of opioid and antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S. What may seem routine for us can have dangerous consequences if we do not maintain pharmacovigilance.


There is increasing attention on opioid and antibiotic stewardship in dentistry and for good reason. Many of these prescriptions are considered potentially unsuitable or redundant. This includes instances where antibiotics are suggested by non-dental medical practitioners for dental issues and procedures. Interestingly, there's a noteworthy overlap between those who prescribe the most opioids and those who prescribe the most antibiotics.


Conclusion

The U.S. is sometimes referred to as the “Pill Nation” because of the sheer number of us who are taking prescription drugs. The hard facts presented here shine a light on how critical it is for dentists to be wary of the drugs their patients are taking, as well as their own prescribing practices. However, this isn’t an easy task, which is perhaps why it’s easier to assume things will be fine rather than spending gobs of time researching and checking for safety each visit. In the next article, we’ll be diving into precisely these challenges and why our thinking needs to change.


Check out how the Digital Drug Handbook can help you stay safe!

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