Turning the Tide of Opioid Addiction
SOLUTION AND CONCLUSIONS
At the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine , we now know that our approach is effective and meaningful . We strongly believe this is a practical , sound approach that will make a tremendous difference to those we serve , mitigating the possibility for addiction . Clinicians who truly believe in doing no harm are encouraged to adopt The Costello Pledge as the standard protocol of choice in their practices .
We are committed to changing the culture of pain management through education at our institution as well as by enlightening the public to be more informed buyers .
In addition to encouraging all healthcare professionals , we further suggest that others should embrace and endorse this approach too .
These include schools , nursing homes , healthcare professional groups , health departments , hospital systems and even social media influencers . Medical centers and health systems must serve their patients and communities in this way . And , insurance providers should also consider adopting the Costello Guidelines and the Costello Pledge as a requirement for credentialing . Finally , policymakers must be part of the solution by providing educational resources for clinicians , putting forward legislation aimed at accountability and support for those who are on the front lines of combatting the opioid epidemic , and by encouraging the adoption of The Costello Guidelines and The Costello Pledge .
It is only through a concerted and collaborative effort involving everyone who can make a difference that the tide of opioid addiction can be turned .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr . Bernard J . Costello is the author of The Costello Pledge and The Guidelines for Prescribing Pain Medications . He is the Thomas W . Braun Endowed Professor and serves as Dean for the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine where he has been a full-time faculty member since 2001 . Dr . Costello is also Chief of Pediatric Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at UPMC Children ’ s Hospital and is the longest serving surgeon on the cleft-craniofacial team .
Having earned doctorates in dentistry and medicine from the University of Pennsylvania , he received residency training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Children ’ s Hospital of Philadelphia . He is primarily known for his translational research in regenerative medicine strategies and for treatment of craniofacial deformities . Dr . Costello completed his pediatric craniofacial fellowship at the Posnick Center for Facial Surgery and Georgetown University Medical Center .
He has been a primary investigator and team science collaborator for projects and multi-institutional grants aimed at developing regenerative technologies with Pitt Dental Medicine Center for Craniofacial Regeneration . Through his leadership , the Pitt Dental Medicine School has achieved status in the top five group of National Institute of Health / National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research-funded institutions for dental medicine .
A published expert in the fields of craniomaxillofacial reconstruction and dentistry , Dr . Costello has published extensively on these subjects and has served as an editor and contributor to numerous peer reviewed publications and texts . Serving in leadership positions with a number of professional associations , boards and foundations , he is currently Vice President for the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and previously held the roles of President with the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association and others . A highly regarded lecturer worldwide , he is regularly sought out for his field of expertise . Dr . Costello also treats facial injuries for the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team in conjunction with UPMC Sports Medicine .
REFERENCES
1 National Library of Medicine , “ COVID-19 and the Opioid Epidemic : Two Public Health Emergencies That Intersect With Chronic Pain ,” Laxmaiah Manchikanti , Rachana Vanaparty , Sairam Atluri , Harsh Sachdeva , Alan D Kaye , Joshua A Hirsch , https :// pubmed . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / 33718982 /, March 14 , 2021 .
2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , “ Drug Overdose Deaths in the U . S . Top 100,000 Annually ,” https :// www . cdc . gov / nchs / pressroom / nchs _ press _ releases / 2021 / 20211117 . htm
18 MARCH / APRIL 2022 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL