Opioids Aren't As Effective As Ibuprofen: Study

CLEVELAND, OH — Opioids are not the most effective way to manage dental pain, according to a new study from Case Western Reserve University. This is a major discovery in the midst of a widespread and damaging opioid crisis.

“What we know is that prescribing narcotics should be a last resort,” said Anita Aminoshariae, an associate professor in the dental school’s Department of Endodontics and one of the study’s authors.

Instead, adults should be given a combination of Ibuprofen (think Advil) and Acetaminophen (think Tylenol). That combination provides longer and more effective relief to adults, the study found.

The opioid epidemic has roots in the 1990s. That's when doctors began prescribing opioids at an increased rate, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. Over the past two decades, the number of overdoses connected to prescription opioid medication has steadily risen.

More than 11 million people abused prescription pain killers in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On average, nearly 115 Americans are dying every day from opioid overdoses. Many people battling addiction say their first drug was a prescription opioid.

“No patient should go home in pain,” Aminoshariae said. “That means that opioids are sometimes the best option, but certainly should not be the first option.”

The study also found that opioids can cause the most adverse side effects in adults and children,; side effects that include drowsiness, respiratory depression, nausea and vomiting and constipation.

Aminoshariae and her team's research was featured on the cover of "The Journal of the American Dental Association" and has been garnering a good deal of attention.

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