Sometimes to cure. Often to alleviate suffering. Always to comfort. Every dentist understands the delicate interplay between the physical and the psychological in the course of successful treatment. DOCS Education was founded to ease the burden of patients whose anxieties complicated their care and magnified their pain. While our commitment to this goal has never wavered, the impediments have often surprised us. The effort to control pain in the United States—whether the arena is dental or medical care—remains complicated by myriad forces. Amid this contradictory landscape we welcome the clarion call for action emerging from the Institute of Medicine. Released last week, this new report not only delineates the hidden costs related to untreated pain but decries the lack of comprehensive, coordinated efforts to deal with the problem. Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research advises a ground-level prevention and management strategy. According to the report, chronic pain affects an estimated 116 million American adults, and costs the nation up to $635 billion each year in medical treatment and lost productivity. Well-documented is the particularly strong link between untreated pain and poor and underserved populations. Research also tells us that the elderly, cancer patients and children are especially vulnerable. As the report properly notes, the reasons for this national failure encompass a variety of factors. Missing is data, consistent information, provider interest, and consensus about treatment. As those of us in dentistry well recognize, each individual is unique in their response to pain and tailored approaches are critical. However, our response as healthcare professionals should not be isolated. Collective effort is paramount, so we welcome this attention to an important subject. We agree that the burden of pain imposes incalculable costs not only in the present but on Americans’ future health status as well. Relieving pain ought to be a national priority.
