Significance of chronic opioid medication for dental treatment

A brief overview of the special features of dental treatment for patients with chronic opioid use

Abstract

The number of patients undergoing chronic opioid therapy has steadily increased in Switzerland in recent years. Impatience, anxiety and inadequate care play a significant role in the care of some of these clients. It is advisable to actively liaise with the patient's somatic and psychiatric co-treaters in order to achieve better coordination, e.g. through active support from a caregiver. It is little known that chronic opioid use prolongs the onset time of local anaesthetics and reduces their duration of action by half. Knowledge of and attention to the altered kinetics of local anaesthesia leads to increased satisfaction among patients and practitioners alike. The efficacy of non-opioid analgesics is not impaired.