Universities Collaborate on Research Into Dental Opioid Alternatives

The National Institutes of Health has awarded an $11.7 million grant to Rutgers School of Dental Medicine to spearhead research with four other universities into the combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen as an alternative to opioids. Under the six-year grant, 1800 Rutgers dental school patients will be prescribed either hydrocodone-acetaminophen or a combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen after molar extractions. The subjects will be asked to record their level of pain, common opioid side effects, and self-dosages for up to seven days post-surgery. Future opioid use will also be tracked to determine if individuals who received opioids were more likely to use or abuse them over time.

In addition to Rutgers, the study will be conducted in dental school clinics at the University of Illinois, University of Maryland, University of Michigan and the University of Rochester.