CLINICAL

The weight-loss drug boom hits dentistry

You would expect the GLP-1 weight loss drug boom to shake up the food and grocery industry, but its ripple effects are also being felt across more surprising sectors, from cosmetics to gyms to airlines—and even dentistry. 

What happened: Around one in eight U.S. adults is taking a GLP-1 drug, like Ozempic and Zepbound, for weight loss, a seismic shift in the pharmaceutical landscape that’s now reshaping how dental practices operate. 

• As an example of how the industry is starting to grapple with this shift, the American Dental Association (ADA) just made GLP-1 status a standard intake question, adding a question asking whether patients have taken a GLP-1 receptor agonist.

What you need to know: One of the primary impacts on how dentists operate—and why the ADA has made GLP-1 use a standard intake question—is its potential to affect sedation. GLP-1s slow gastric emptying, so a patient can show up with food still in the stomach despite following fasting instructions. For moderate or deep sedation, oral surgery, or general anesthesia, patients using GLP-1s without their clinician’s knowledge can become a safety issue.

• Sedation isn’t the only factor to consider, either. The ADA flags possible slowed tooth movement in adult ortho cases and bone-density questions around implants.
  

• The chair of the ADA's Council on Dental Practice says xerostomia, or dry mouth, is the most common oral change these drugs cause, and up to 24% of users report vomiting, which bathes teeth in stomach acid, both side effects that can increase decay and cavity risk.

Yes, but: It’s still early days in the GLP-1 drug boom, and peer-reviewed, controlled studies on oral health effects are still relatively thin. There’s even some evidence that these drugs are associated with improved periodontal and peri-implant health in diabetic patients.

What you can do: The number of your patients on GLP-1s is only likely to grow—current use has doubled in 18 months and shows no signs of leveling off. If you haven’t already, now is the right time to systematize a response: 

• Put GLP-1s on the intake form. The ADA's updated form does it; if you run your own, add the question and have staff confirm it at every visit.
  

• Build a GLP-1 flag into your sedation workflow. Define a clear path for adjusting treatment when needed, ideally coordinated with the prescribing physician.
  

• Train the front desk to ask, and to explain why. Patients are less likely to volunteer the information if they don't know it matters.
  

• Implement a dry-mouth protocol. That could include hydration coaching, fluoride, and tighter recall intervals for affected patients.
  

• Flag status in ortho and implant planning where bone and tooth movement are in play.

And one more thing to watch: Rapid weight loss driven by GLP-1s has another visible side effect—facial volume loss, or "Ozempic face"—that’s already spawning a cash-pay opportunity some dental practices are chasing, like Soul Dental in NYC (offering cosmetic injectables alongside its dental work) and Smile For Life Dental in Illinois (operating a full in-house medical spa with Botox and facials). It may not be relevant to your practice today, but it could be an emerging industry trend worth keeping an eye on.