A Comparison of Opioid Prescribing Patterns by Dentists in New York and Oregon, 2014-2016

Author: Elizabeth Mertz, PhD | Matthew Jura, MSc | Shen Wang, MPA, MPH | Miranda Werts | Robert Martiniano, DrPH, MPA | Ulrike Muench, PhD, RN, FAAN | Enihomo Obadan-Udoh, DDS, MPH, Dr Med Sc

Topics: Medicaid, Oral Health, Policy

Research Center: Oral Health Workforce Research Center

October 1, 2021

Dentists are 1 of the top 5 opioid analgesic prescribers among health care professionals in the US. However, most of these prescriptions remain unused after dental surgery, with upwards of 100 million opioid analgesic pills estimated to be left unused.

This report describes dentists’ opioid prescribing patterns for Medicaid beneficiaries in 2 very different states—Oregon and New York—prior to the implementation of several national and state level opioid prescribing guidelines.

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