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Issues & People Professional Issues

Reducing the Harms Related to Opioids in Canada

Dr. Larry Levin spoke with Dr. Chiraz Guessaier about his attendance at the recent Health Canada Opioid Conference on November 18, 2016. The conference discussed relevant issues related to the harmful effects of opioid use.

Highlights

The Canadian government is aware of the crisis that has been growing over the past years. Canada is second worldwide in opioid use. The initiative was co-chaired by the federal and provincial (Ontario) ministers of health. A broad spectrum of stakeholders were invited to participate including first responders, doctors, long-term addiction care workers, social workers, and members of affected families.

What is the role of dentists?

Dentists, when confronted with a situation in which a patient is in pain, should look for alternative procedures to alleviate pain and discomfort before prescribing narcotics for patients. Opioid should not be the first medication of choice.

Similarly, dental schools also encourage students to consider the source of a patient’s tooth-related discomfort and as such, to either eliminate the source of infection or pain or treat the infection, as indicated. Canadian dental schools include specific information about opioid use in their curriculum, how to prescribe them, the harmful effects of opioids, and how to reduce overall opioid use.

National and provincial dental organizations as well as the regulatory authorities also have a role to play in the education and monitoring of opioids prescriptions.

 

 

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