The use of analgesics in Dutch oral care from 2016 through 2020

Oral care providers frequently prescribe analgesics for the management of dental pain. To get an overview of the analgesics prescribed in the Netherlands from 2016 through 2020, we collected data from the Stichting Farmaceutische Kengetallen (foundation [for] pharmaceutical indicators). Annually, more than 300,000 analgesics are prescribed by dentists in general practice and dental specialists. The largest group concerns NSAIDs (88%), followed by weak opioids (9%), acetaminophen (2%) and strong opioids (1%). Of the NSAIDs, ibuprofen is the most prescribed by all groups of oral care providers (84-91%). Of the weak opioids, dentists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons mainly prescribe codeine and codeine/ acetaminophen (64% and 78%, respectively), while orthodontists mainly prescribe tramadol (53%). Of the strong opioids, oxycodone is the most frequently prescribed by all groups of oral care providers (77-87%). Analgesics are a large part of the prescription medications in Dutch oral care and mainly concern NSAIDs (ibuprofen) and weak opioids (codeine/ acetaminophen). There are no major differences in prescription behaviour among different oral care providers.