Introduction

Dental pain is real, and most dentists in practice were taught that the most effective way to alleviate severe pain was with opioid painkillers. That ’s what I was taught during my dental school experience and my residency in pediatric dentistry. During the early part of my career in dental education, I served as Dean for Clinical Affairs at the dental schools at Harvard University and the University of Connecticut. Students and residents faced with patients who presented complaining of pain were eager to address their symptoms, and opioids were often prescribed for them.

Source: Dental Clinics of North America - May 22, 2020 Category: Dentistry Authors: Richard W. Valachovic Source Type: research