Dentist-prescribed drugs and the patients receiving them.

BACKGROUND: Outpatient prescription drugs continue to play an ever-increasing role in health care delivery in the United States. This paper focuses on the drugs prescribed by dentists and the patients who receive those drugs. METHODS: The authors analyzed data from the 2001 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) for the U.S. community-based population. They developed estimates of the total market for prescription drugs related to a dental visit in terms of total number of prescriptions, total expenditures, and sources of payment. Also included are breakdowns by the type of dentist and the therapeutic class of drug prescribed. They also present a model that identifies the patient characteristics that best predict the likelihood of receiving a dental visit related prescription drug. RESULTS: Dental patients who were 18 years and older, African American patients, patients whose education level was less than a college degree, patients whose dental visit frequency was less than twice a year, and patients without medical insurance were most likely to report a prescription drug. CONCLUSION: Respondents' socioeconomic background and other demographic factors were related to the likelihood of receiving a prescription drug related to a dental visit. Patient age was related to the therapeutic class of the drug prescribed. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Patients with fewer than two dental visits per year were more likely to report a dental prescription than patients with at least two visits per year.