5 ways to help patients feel more comfortable discussing opioid use disorder and pain management
As the country grapples with a national addiction crisis, dentists and oral health providers have an important role to play in helping their patients feel comfortable asking questions and talking about opioid use disorder and pain management.
The medical community has taken many steps to curb opioid abuse and reduce the number of prescriptions that are going to patients. Massachusetts dentists were the first in the nation to partner with the Commonwealth’s three dental schools on a set of dental education core competencies for the prevention and management of prescription drug misuse. Massachusetts dentists also worked with policymakers on legislation limiting opioid prescriptions to a seven-day supply for minors and first-time adult prescriptions. The legislation also included mandatory continuing education and prescription monitoring requirements.
The good news: Opioid-related fatalities in Massachusetts have declined this year.
The bad news: This crisis is far from over.
According to a recent study by the GE Foundation, RIZE Massachusetts, and Shatterproof, the biggest challenge facing this epidemic is the ongoing stigma surrounding the disease of opioid use disorder. The study included a survey of healthcare professionals across the state of Massachusetts and found that the majority of providers had serious reservations or felt ill-equipped to treat and talk to patients about this disorder.
As a core part of the medical community responsible for providing pain management, dentists play a critical role in ensuring that patients not only are aware of the risks of opioids before oral surgery, but making them feel comfortable discussing any questions and concerns about addiction.
Here are 5 practical ways to approach the conversation about opioids as patients prepare for oral surgery.
1. Talk to every patient - especially the teenagers.
Whether they’re getting wisdom teeth removed or fixing a sports injury, teenagers are not too young to understand the importance of this issue and to learn about healthy pain management. The fact is, the largest increase in oral health opioid prescriptions from 2010-2015 were among patients aged 11 to 18.
2. Ask about family history and any concerns about addiction.
This may seem like a touchy subject, but it’s important. A patient may not feel comfortable bringing it up themselves, but if you ask in an open in a non-judgmental way, people will be more open to having that discussion.
3. If you do prescribe opioids, make sure they know about safe storage and disposal methods.
This reminds patients that they should stop taking the medicine as soon as it is no longer needed. It also makes them aware of the potential dangers of not storing and taking care of these medications properly. Delta Dental has tips that you can refer to here.
4. Offer FAQ facts and resources.
Even if a patient doesn’t want to engage in a conversation about opioids and pain management, you can still refer them to basic information and FAQs and emphasize its importance. If a patient needs help finding treatment resources for themselves or a family member, you can find many examples here.
5. Stay up to date on the latest resources and training for dentists.
If you don’t feel equipped or trained to handle some of these issues related to opioid use disorder, there are many resources available to help you and your staff. Destigmatizing this disease and making sure patients feel comfortable and informed starts with making sure our health providers feel comfortable and informed on how to support them. The ADA offers resources, webinars and trainings and is a great place to start.
You can also refer to Delta Dental of Massachusetts’ opioid resources anytime to find information for dentists, patients and families on everything from safe disposal of opioids to resources for treatment.