University of Illinois Cancer Center member Greg Calip served as co-author on a new study that found that dentists practicing in the United States write 37 times more opioid prescriptions than dentists practicing in England. And, the type of opioids they prescribe has a higher potential for abuse.
Their findings, reported in JAMA Network Open, suggest that measures to reduce opioid prescribing by dentists, who are among the top prescribers of opioids in the U.S., should be discussed by policymakers and professional associations.
The study was, in part, a collaboration between UIC’s College of Pharmacy and Dentistry, and the University of Sheffield. Calip, PharmD, PhD, MPH, is assistant professor of pharmacy systems, outcomes and policy. Katie Suda, associate professor of pharmacy systems, outcomes and policy at the UIC College of Pharmacy, is the corresponding author of the study.