“WHAT ROLE DO DENTAL PRESCRIPTIONS PLAY IN THE OPIOID CRISIS?”

Author

• Palak Shah

Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Kennedy, Ashley

Abstract

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 47,000 individuals died in 2017 due to an opioid overdose. Further, dentists are more likely to prescribe immediate-release opioids than other healthcare providers. In the late 1990s, dentists were responsible for 15.5% of prescriptions for immediate-release opioids, and 8% of these prescriptions in 2009. In this thesis I examine the reasons for this, including the ways in which a patient’s sex, age, race, and ethnicity play a role in dental prescriptions, and conclude that dentists do not consistently use the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMPs) or the guidelines set by the American Dental Association. I argue that to help to prevent opioid misuse and abuse dentists should do a risk assessment before prescribing opioids.

Comments

Includes bibliography.

Recommended Citation

Shah, Palak, "“WHAT ROLE DO DENTAL PRESCRIPTIONS PLAY IN THE OPIOID CRISIS?”" (2020). Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019. 494.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_honors_2/494

Extent

28 p.

Identifier

FA00003722