Long-Term Opioid Use May Start With Prescription For Wisdom Teeth Removal

Teens and young adults who fill an opioid prescription after wisdom teeth removal are almost three times as likely to use opioids persistently compared with their peers who don’t fill their prescription, a new study finds.

The findings come from an analysis of 71,000 insured people from 2009 to 2015. About 60,000 filled their opioid prescription after wisdom tooth surgery. Those ages 19 to 30 had the highest odds of persistent opioid use after that, the researchers report in JAMA.

“From our findings, we should strongly consider not prescribing any opioids routinely after wisdom teeth are pulled. Particularly since there is evidence that anti-inflammatories may be just as good, if not better, for pain management after wisdom teeth are pulled,” lead researcher Dr. Calista Harbaugh of the University of Michigan told ABC News.