Asma Khan, Endodontist
Associate Professor
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Nothing to disclose
Raymond Dionne, DDS, MS, PhD
Research Professor
East Carolina University
Disclosures: Aegis Dental Network: Consultant, Honorarium; Charleston Laboratories: Consultant, Honorarium; Novartis Consumer Health: Consultant, Honorarium
Jared Cardon, D.D.S.
Program Director Keesler AFB Endodontics Residency
The treatment of acute odontogenic pain in the emergency department (ED) is often managed by medical personnel without dental training. Hospital survey data prior to the current opioid overdose epidemic indicate that the majority of patients reporting acute odontogenic pain in the ED received an opioid combination. Recognition that this may be a source of opioids for drug-seeking patients and contribute to drug diversion indicates the need to standardize the management of acute pain both in the ED and in dental settings. This program will summarize the current status of opioid prescribing for acute odontogenic pain, suggest therapeutic strategies to alleviate pain without an opioid, and review guidelines for prescribing opioid combination analgesics for dental outpatients. A draft checklist for prescribing opioids for acute dental pain by ED staff will be presented for review and revision by the attendees for dissemination to the emergency medicine community.