ADOPT Study Alternatives to Dental Opioid Prescribing After Tooth Extraction

Each year, U.S. dentists prescribe more opioids than in other countries. Many of these prescriptions—often given after tooth extractions in adolescents and young adults—go unused, creating opportunities for misuse or accidental exposure. Early exposure to opioids significantly increases the risk of long-term use or substance use disorder.

The ADOPT Study is testing a practical, multi-component approach to help dental providers and patients choose safe, effective, non-opioid pain management options. 

Our goal: reduce opioid prescribing by at least 18% in participating clinics over four years while maintaining excellent pain control and patient satisfaction.

Learn more about the ADOPT study from our protocol paper.

Public Health Impact: Dentists are among the leading prescribers of opioids to adolescents; early exposure long-term opioid misuse risk.

Proven Alternatives: Ibuprofen and acetaminophen provides equal or better pain relief than opioids for dental pain.

Economic Savings: Preventing one opioid use disorder saves over $2 million in healthcare and productivity costs.

Community Focus: Kentucky communities are disproportionately impacted by the opioid epidemic, but lessons can be applied nationwide.

ADOPT is a federally funded research initiative committed to efficient resource use, transparent progress reporting, and producing actionable findings to guide clinical care and policy.

This study is funded by the National Institute on Dental and Craniofacial Research (NICDR) under award number UH3DE032621 and registered on ClinicalTrials.gov as study NCT06275191. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIDCR or the National Institutes of Health.