Opioid prescribing by oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the United States, 2016-2019

Objective To describe opioid prescribing trends among oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMFS). Methods Prescriptions by OMFS were identified from IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription Dataset, 2016-2019. OMFS-based, patient-based and population-based prescribing rates and changes in high-risk opioid prescribing were calculated annually. We used linear regression to describe trends. Results There were 13.9 million opioid prescriptions among 12.5 million patients (627 prescriptions/OMFS/year). Hydrocodone and oxycodone decreased by 20.9% and 39.2% (p < 0.05), while tramadol and codeine increased by 24.3% and 6.1% (p < 0.05), respectively. Opioid prescribing rates significantly decreased by 27 prescriptions/OMFS/year, 18.6 patients/OMFS/year and by 0.9 prescriptions/100,000 population/year (p < 0.05 for all). From 2016 to 2019, the proportion of opioids >3 days decreased by 54.2% (p < 0.05) and prescriptions >= 50 MME/day decreased by 66.3% (p < 0.05). Although the number of opioid prescriptions by OMFS decreased in most states, 12% of states experienced increases. Conclusion Opioid prescribing, especially high-risk prescribing, by OMFS has decreased. However, targeted interventions are warranted in some areas.