Anesthesia & Pain Management Insider: NSAID before implant surgery reduces post-op pain

Dear Anesthesia & Pain Management Insider,

Postoperative pain is a reason some patients avoid implant treatment. But would taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) just before surgery reduce patients' pain afterward? Researchers put this theory to the test. Read our Insider Exclusive.

In other Anesthesia and Pain Management Community news, much of the attention about the opioid epidemic focuses on the abuse of prescription drugs, but pharmacist Tom Viola notes that over-the-counter products, such as a popular diarrhea medication, also can contribute to the issue. Learn more here.

Teeth grinding during sleep is fairly common, but devices used to help patients may not be effective. Enter Botox, a neurotoxin that temporarily paralyzes muscles that is prescribed to treat movement disorders and migraines. Researchers had the idea that using Botox might reduce the symptoms of sleep bruxism. Does it? Read more here.

The amount of opioids prescribed by all healthcare practitioners in the U.S. has increased over the last 15 years, but the total quantity of opioids prescribed by dentists has declined, according to a new study. Dental professionals prescribed only about 2% of the total quantity of opioids, according to recent data. Learn more here. You can also obtain continuing education credits for this article here.

All offices want to reduce the chance of an adverse event when patients are sedated. The authors of a new review in the Journal of the American Dental Association suggest that capnography may be able to prevent these severe adverse events in moderately sedated patients. Read more here.