A patient in severe pain reports NSAIDs and Tylenol #3 do not help — only Percocet provides relief. What should the dentist do?

Correct answer: A. Suspect drug-seeking behavior and evaluate further

• A. Relief only from a specific strong opioid while failing multiple other analgesics is a classic drug-seeking red flag. The dentist should check the prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP), evaluate the clinical situation, and address the underlying dental pathology rather than escalate opioids.
• B. Escalating to a different opioid without further evaluation is equally inappropriate.
• C. Writing a strong opioid prescription without evaluation in this pattern would be inappropriate and potentially dangerous.
• D. There is no medical emergency warranting 911.