Educational Interventions for Opioid Use in Dentistry

Overseen By Dana Stanley, MET

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of British Columbia

Must not be taking: Opioid agonist therapy

Disqualifiers: Plan P medications

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to assess how educational tools for dentists can alter their opioid prescribing habits, particularly for dental pain. Dentists receive personalized reports and educational materials, such as the Prescribing Portrait and Therapeutics Letter, to guide their prescribing. The trial evaluates whether adding group sessions and practice plans enhances the impact. Dentists practicing in British Columbia with a history of prescribing opioids can participate. Eligible patients are those who received an opioid prescription from a participating dentist within the specified time frame. As an unphased trial, this study allows patients to contribute to the improvement of dental care practices.

What prior data suggests that this educational intervention is safe for dentists?

Research has shown that the Prescribing Portrait and Therapeutics Letter are safe tools. These educational resources, not medical treatments, aim to help dentists change their opioid prescribing practices. The Portrait offers personalized information about prescribing habits, while the Therapeutics Letter provides practical tips to prevent opioid overuse.

Studies indicate that these materials help dentists prescribe opioids more cautiously, reducing the risk of patient dependency or misuse. As informational tools, they pose no direct health risks to participants. In summary, the interventions are well-tolerated and have no negative effects on trial participants. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about these educational interventions for opioid use in dentistry because they aim to reshape how opioids are prescribed, which could significantly reduce misuse. The "Prescribing Portrait" and "Therapeutics Letter" provide tailored guidance and evidence-based recommendations that differ from traditional approaches, which often lack personalized feedback. By enhancing prescriber awareness and decision-making, these interventions could lead to safer prescribing practices, ultimately helping to tackle the opioid crisis at its root.

What evidence suggests that this trial's interventions could be effective for reducing opioid use in dentistry?

This trial evaluates different educational interventions for dentists to reduce opioid prescriptions for dental pain. Participants in Arm A (Group 1) receive the "regular" intervention bundle, which includes the "Prescribing Portrait" and "Therapeutics Letter." Arm B (Group 2) receives an "enhanced" intervention bundle. Arm C (Group 3) serves as a delayed control group, receiving the regular intervention materials 12 months later. Research has shown that these educational tools can help dentists compare their prescribing habits to others, encouraging safer practices. Studies have found that when dentists receive detailed feedback and educational materials, they often choose non-opioid options for pain relief, effectively lowering the risk of opioid misuse and addiction. Additionally, involving dentists in group feedback sessions and improvement plans may strengthen these effects. Overall, these efforts aim to encourage safer prescribing habits among dentists. ^{1 2 5 6 7}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Colin Dormuth, ScD

Principal Investigator

University of British Columbia

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for dentists in British Columbia, Canada. It's designed to see if giving them personalized prescribing data and educational materials can change how they prescribe opioids for dental pain. The study will also look at whether adding group sessions and a practice improvement plan makes a difference.

Inclusion Criteria

Dentists will be eligible to receive an individual prescribing Portrait if they are registered with the British Columbia Medical Services Plan (MSP) as being in active practice, have a valid mailing address in British Columbia, and have issued ≥10 prescriptions dispensed at community pharmacies between January 5, 2025 and January 5, 2026, as identified in PharmaNet claims data.

I got an opioid prescription from a dentist and was covered by the BC MSP for the last year.

Exclusion Criteria

I haven't received Plan P medication or opioid therapy in the specified time frames.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Dentists in Groups 1 and 2 receive their intervention bundles, with Group 1 receiving the regular intervention and Group 2 receiving the enhanced intervention.

6 months

Intervention materials mailed

Follow-up

Dentists in Group 2 receive a repeat of the enhanced intervention, and Group 3 (delayed control group) receives the regular intervention bundle.

6 months

Intervention materials mailed

Analysis

Analysis of prescribing trends and outcomes using administrative health data.

12 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Prescribing Portrait and Therapeutics Letter

Trial Overview

The study tests two interventions: the 'Regular' involves providing dentists with their prescribing data, an educational summary, and patient education materials; the 'Enhanced' adds facilitated audit-and-feedback group sessions and development of a practice improvement plan.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Arm C (Group 3) - Delayed control Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Arm C/Group 3 is a delayed control group that receives the "regular" intervention materials 12 months after the Arm A and B receive their interventions.

Group II: Arm B (Group 2) - Enhanced intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Arm B/Group 2 receives the "enhanced" intervention bundle

Group III: Arm A (Group 1) - Regular intervention bundle Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Arm A/Group 1 receives the "regular" intervention bundle.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of British Columbia

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,506

Recruited

2,528,000+

Ministry of Health, British Columbia

Collaborator

Trials

11

Recruited

15,600+

Citations

1.

clinicaltrials.gov

clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07317869

Impact Evaluation of the Therapeutic Initiative's Prescribing ...

This study examines the impact of prescribing Portraits on opioid prescribing by dentists in British Columbia. The Portrait title is "Do you ...

2.

ti.ubc.ca

ti.ubc.ca/2026/01/06/do-you-manage-dental-pain-with-opioids/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=do-you-manage-dental-pain-with-opioids

Do you manage dental pain with opioids?

The study will estimate and compare the impact of interventions (mailing Portrait + Therapeutics Letter) on prescribing of opioids by dentists ...

3.

deltadentalmn.org

deltadentalmn.org/library/opioid-whitepaper.pdf

Addressing the Opioid crisis

A number of published studies have detailed the effect of instituting an opioid prescribing guideline that highlights the use of non-opioid medications as the ...

4.

nhoralhealth.org

nhoralhealth.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Leslie-Ochs-2015-NH-Oral-Health-Forum.pdf

Safe Opioid Prescribing in the Management of Acute ...

Describe the epidemiology of prescription opioid use and overdose. • Explain the importance of the prescription drug monitoring program as a tool to inform ...

5.

cp3.pitt.edu

cp3.pitt.edu/publications/comparison-opioid-prescribing-dentists-united-states-and-england

Comparison of Opioid Prescribing by Dentists in the United ...

RESULTS: In 2016, the proportion of prescriptions written by US dentists that were for opioids was 37 times greater than the proportion written ...

6.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK598434/

Therapeutics Letter - NCBI Bookshelf - NIH

This is a bimonthly publication targeting identified problematic therapeutic issues in a brief, simple and practical manner.

7.

ti.ubc.ca

ti.ubc.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/TL-16X-Opioids-for-Dental-pain-confidential.pdf

Pharmacological management of dental pain and inflammation

Opioids are potentially more dangerous during acute use and can lead to pharmaco- logical dependence and opioid use disorder (OUD). This Therapeutics Letter.