The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pattern of Antibiotic and Opioid Prescriptions by Dentists in Alberta, Canada

IF 1.7 Q3 DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE Clinical and Experimental Dental Research Pub Date : 2024-07-07 DOI:10.1002/cre2.913

Riley Immel, Babak Bohlouli, Maryam Amin

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Abstract

Objectives

After the shutdown of most dental services during the COVID-19 lockdown, the oral health community was concerned about an increase in prescribing opioids and antibiotics by dentists due to patients' limited access to dental offices. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the pattern of antibiotic and opioid prescriptions by dentists in Alberta, Canada.

Methods

Data obtained from the Tracked Prescription Program were divided into antibiotics and opioids. Time periods were outlined as pre-, during-, and postlockdown (phase 1 and 2). For the number of prescriptions and average supply, each monthly average was compared to the corresponding prelockdown monthly average, using descriptive analysis. Time series analyses were conducted using regression analyses with an autoregressive error model. Data were trained and tested on monthly observations before lockdown and predicted for during- and postlockdown.

Results

A total of 1.1 million antibiotics and 400,000 opioids dispense were tracked. Decreases in the number of prescriptions during lockdown presented for antibiotics (n = 24,933 vs. 18,884) and opioids (n = 8892 vs. 6051). Average supplies (days) for the antibiotics (n = 7.10 vs. 7.55) and opioids (n = 3.92 vs. 4.05) were higher during the lockdown period. In the trend analyses, the monthly number of antibiotic and opioid prescriptions showed the same pattern and decreased during lockdown.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic altered the trends of prescribing antibiotics and opioids by dentists. The full impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the population's oral health in light of changes in prescribing practices by dentists during and after lockdown warrants further investigation.

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COVID-19 大流行对加拿大艾伯塔省牙医开具抗生素和阿片类药物处方模式的影响。

目标：在 COVID-19 封锁期间大多数牙科服务被关闭后，口腔健康界担心由于患者前往牙科诊所的机会有限，牙医开具阿片类药物和抗生素处方的情况会增加。因此，本研究旨在调查 COVID-19 大流行对加拿大艾伯塔省牙医开具抗生素和阿片类药物处方模式的影响：方法：从跟踪处方计划获得的数据分为抗生素和阿片类药物。时间段分为封锁前、封锁期间和封锁后（第一和第二阶段）。对于处方数量和平均供应量，采用描述性分析方法将每个月的平均值与封锁前的相应月平均值进行比较。时间序列分析采用自回归误差模型进行回归分析。对封锁前的每月观测数据进行了训练和测试，并对封锁期间和封锁后的数据进行了预测：共跟踪了 110 万份抗生素和 40 万份阿片类药物的配药情况。在封锁期间，抗生素（n = 24,933 对 18,884 ）和阿片类药物（n = 8892 对 6051）的处方数量均有所减少。在封锁期间，抗生素（n = 7.10 对 7.55）和阿片类药物（n = 3.92 对 4.05）的平均供应量（天数）较高。在趋势分析中，每月的抗生素和阿片类药物处方数量显示出相同的模式，并在封锁期间有所下降：COVID-19大流行改变了牙医开具抗生素和阿片类药物处方的趋势。根据封锁期间和封锁后牙医处方做法的变化，COVID-19 大流行对人口口腔健康的全面影响值得进一步研究。

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来源期刊

Clinical and Experimental Dental Research DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE-

CiteScore

3.30

自引率

5.60%

发文量

165

审稿时长

26 weeks

期刊介绍： Clinical and Experimental Dental Research aims to provide open access peer-reviewed publications of high scientific quality representing original clinical, diagnostic or experimental work within all disciplines and fields of oral medicine and dentistry. The scope of Clinical and Experimental Dental Research comprises original research material on the anatomy, physiology and pathology of oro-facial, oro-pharyngeal and maxillofacial tissues, and functions and dysfunctions within the stomatognathic system, and the epidemiology, aetiology, prevention, diagnosis, prognosis and therapy of diseases and conditions that have an effect on the homeostasis of the mouth, jaws, and closely associated structures, as well as the healing and regeneration and the clinical aspects of replacement of hard and soft tissues with biomaterials, and the rehabilitation of stomatognathic functions. Studies that bring new knowledge on how to advance health on the individual or public health levels, including interactions between oral and general health and ill-health are welcome.