Pain doesn't take a holiday: Dental opioids study points to need for better prescribing

(Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan) As dentists and their teams across America get back to their regular schedules after a sharp COVID-19-related reduction, a new study shows a key opportunity to reduce the use of opioid painkillers by patients. The analysis of four years' worth of data from two million patients show that those who had dental procedures on a Friday or day before a holiday were much more likely to fill a prescription for an opioid than other patients.