Chronic use of sublingual/transmucosal buprenorphine has been associated with a deterioration in dental health.
Product: sublingual buprenorphine with or without nalaxone
Patients at risk:
(1) opioid use disorder (OUD)
(2) chronic pain
Adverse effects:
(1) dental caries
(2) oral infection
(3) tooth loss
Suzuki et al identified
(1) low salivary buffering capacity in many patients taking oral buprenorphine
(2) acidic nature of buprenorphine/nalaxone (pH 3.4).
Implication of the oral buprenorphine requires excluding other causes (pre-existing oral health issues, immunosuppression, effects of other drugs, change in diet).
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