# Improving Veteran Health by Increasing Dental Stewardship of Antibiotics and Opioids

> **NIH VA I01** · EDWARD HINES JR VA HOSPITAL · 2020 · —

## Abstract

Antibiotics and opioids are the top therapeutic categories prescribed by dentists. Interestingly, factors associ-
ated with prescribing behaviors of these medication classes are similar. Our preliminary data on dental pre-
scribing demonstrates that 1) high prescribers of opioids are also high prescribers of antibiotics and 2) over-
prescribing of antibiotics and opioids is common. However, there is a knowledge gap in our understanding of
medication prescribing and overprescribing (for inappropriate indications and/or excessive quantity/potency/
duration) by dentists. This gap is significant because dentists prescribe 1 out of every 10 prescriptions (Rx)
for both antibiotics and opioids in the US. Inappropriate and appropriate use of antibiotic and opioids are a
risk to patient safety, including: bacterial resistance, C. difficile infection (CDI), opioid overdose, drug de-
pendence and diversion. Opioid overprescribing is concerning because substance users commonly seek
opioids from dentists, dentists infrequently use prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP) and fatalities
secondary to opioid use have been linked to dental prescribing. Use of antibiotics for infection prophylaxis
prior to dental procedures has been associated with CDI. Guidelines for infective endocarditis and prosthetic
joint infection prophylaxis during dental procedures were recently updated, significantly reducing the number
of patients requiring antibiotic prophylaxis. However, despite infection prophylaxis being the primary indica-
tion for antibiotics prescribed by dentists, our national data shows only a small (0.7%) decrease in overall
dental antibiotic prescribing. Although efforts are increasing to curtail overuse of these medication classes,
most interventions are focused on medical providers. Guided by preliminary data, we will be pursuing 3 spe-
cific aims: 1) Assess dental prescribing of antibiotics and opioid medications and identify characteristics as-
sociated with high rates of inappropriate prescribing; 2) Describe dentists' attitudes towards prescribing anti-
biotics and opioids among those with high and low prescribing patterns in high and low prescribing facilities;
and 3) Develop a pilot implementation study to improve dental prescribing. The proposed study is aligned
with the research priority areas of HSR&D (healthcare equity-vulnerable populations; implementation sci-
ence-provider behavior; and patient-centered care-opioid use) and 2 White House National Action Plans fo-
cused on antibiotic resistance and adverse drug events. The goals of this collaborative project also align with
the priorities of our operational partners: VA Dental Services, PBM MedSafe, and the Antimicrobial Steward-
ship Task Force. We propose to conduct a mixed-methods study to assess antibiotic and opioid dental pre-
scribing based on American Dental Association recommendations and identify factors related to prescribing.
We will triangulate results from administrative data a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9928003
- **Project number:** 5I01HX002452-03
- **Recipient organization:** EDWARD HINES JR VA HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** KJ Suda
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9928003

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9928003, Improving Veteran Health by Increasing Dental Stewardship of Antibiotics and Opioids (5I01HX002452-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9928003. Licensed CC0.

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