U.S. Dentists Prescribe 37 Times More Opioids Than in England: Study

University of Illinois at Chicago CCTS-supported researcher, Dr. Katie Suda, was featured in U.S. News & World Report discussing her recent JAMA Network Open publication, which found that despite the nation's opioid epidemic, U.S. dentists are far more likely to prescribe addictive opioid painkillers than their British counterparts.

We have all probably had the experience of a terrible toothache," said lead author Katie Suda, an associate professor of pharmacy at the University of Illinois in Chicago. "But all dentists treat pain worldwide, so we would not expect a large difference in which pain medication is prescribed, and our results show that U.S. dentists prescribe opioids more frequently than is likely needed."