Opioid Prescribing in Dental Practice: Managing Liability Risks.

Dentistry should be proud of its history of providing responsible pain relief, as well as becoming more cautious in prescribing opioid medications when other safer pharmacologic options exist. Our training directs us to first eliminate the source of dental pain and prescribe analgesics only as adjunctive relief. Prescriptions must be written for a legitimate dental purpose and for a patient of record.

Interprofessional Collaboration in the Assessment and Management of Substance Use Risk.

Substance use disorder assessment strategies are increasingly being employed by dentistry, while adequate evaluation requires reaching out to other cotreating providers and collaborating on patient care. The field of dentistry has a range of barriers often not experienced in other professions, including limitations on e-record communication and clinical practice setting often isolated from the patient's general medical care. Barriers can be overcome if the dentist facilitates communication.