Suboxone Lawsuit: Tooth Decay Claims and Who May Qualify
Last updated: October 6, 2026
Suboxone film is a prescription strip that dissolves under the tongue. People take it every day, often for years, to stay off opioids. Some of them say their teeth began to decay, crack, and fall out while they were on it. Thousands have now sued the company that sells it. They say the film was made too acidic, and that no one warned them or their dentists until 2022.
This guide explains what the lawsuits say, what the dental damage looks like, and where the cases stand. It also covers what to do if you still take Suboxone. For how large groups of cases move through one court, see MDL Basics.
This page provides general educational information and does not constitute legal advice. Whether your history supports a claim depends on your facts. Only a lawyer who reviews those facts can say.
Please do not stop taking Suboxone or change how you take it because of this page. Talk to your prescriber first. The FDA says the benefits of these medicines clearly outweigh the risks.
Took Suboxone film and lost teeth or needed major dental work? You can ask for a free case review. Whether your history supports a claim depends on your own facts. Pick the situation that fits:
Free and no obligation. Filing deadlines are set by your state. Submitting a review request does not create an attorney-client relationship.
What Suboxone Film Is
Suboxone treats opioid use disorder. It combines two drugs. Buprenorphine eases withdrawal and cravings. Naloxone is added to discourage misuse.
The film is a thin strip placed under the tongue or inside the cheek. The patient leaves it there until it dissolves, which takes several minutes. The label says not to chew it or swallow it, because the medicine has to absorb through the lining of the mouth.
Indivior sells Suboxone. Aquestive Therapeutics makes the film. Suboxone first came out as a tablet in 2002, and the film followed in 2010. Within a few years most patients had been moved from the tablet to the film. The lawsuits say Indivior made that switch to hold off cheaper generic tablets. Forty-one states made the same accusation in an antitrust lawsuit filed in 2016.
What the Lawsuits Say Happened
The lawsuits say the film is acidic by design. According to the complaints, a dissolved strip has a pH of about 3.4. Tooth enamel starts to dissolve below a pH of 5.5. A patient who holds that strip in the mouth every day is bathing the teeth in acid every day, for as long as treatment lasts.
The complaints say Indivior chose the acidity to make the film absorb like the tablet. That match let the company win approval for the film by relying on the tablet's safety studies. They also say Indivior knew of at least 100 reports of mouth and dental problems by the end of 2018, and still put no dental warning on the label.
The FDA announced a dental warning for these medicines on January 12, 2022. Indivior added it to the Suboxone film label that June. The lawsuits say patients who used the film before then had no way to know the risk, and neither did their dentists.
The lawsuits make one more claim. Indivior also sells Sublocade, a monthly shot that never sits in the mouth. The complaints say the company could have brought it to market years before 2017, and that patients would have chosen it. Indivior and Aquestive dispute the claims.
You can read the main complaint filed for the people in the federal cases: Schedule A Complaint, MDL 3092 (PDF). It is 74 pages and was filed on June 14, 2024. It does not name the individual people suing.
What the Dental Damage Looks Like
The FDA found 305 reports of dental problems linked to these medicines through 2018. The problems the FDA and the lawsuits describe include:
- Tooth decay and cavities, sometimes many at once
- Enamel worn away by acid
- Teeth that crack, chip, or break
- Fillings that fall out
- Abscesses and other infections in the mouth
- Teeth that have to be pulled
The repairs people describe in the lawsuits include fillings, root canals, crowns, implants, and partial or full dentures. For the early signs and what the FDA found, see Does Suboxone Rot Your Teeth?
If You Still Take Suboxone
The FDA says the benefits of these medicines clearly outweigh the risks. It also warns patients not to stop suddenly without talking to their prescriber. The agency gives a few simple steps to protect your teeth while you take the film, listed in How to Protect Your Teeth.
If you have pain or new damage in your mouth, tell your prescriber and your dentist. Your prescriber can also tell you whether another form of the medicine would suit you.
Who Is Filing These Lawsuits
The people suing were prescribed Suboxone film, to treat opioid use disorder or pain. Each of them says the film damaged their teeth for good or led to major dental work. When a person dies while the case is pending, a family member or the estate may be able to take over the claim.
The cases are about the film. Some people took the tablet at one point and the film at another, and some took a generic film. Which product a person used, and when, is one of the first things a lawyer looks at. Your pharmacy can tell you exactly what you were given.
Not sure which form you took, or for how long? That is a common place to start. Your pharmacy records answer it, and a case review can help you work out what to ask for.
Start a Free Case ReviewEducational purposes only. Submitting the form on Lawsuit Center does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Where the Cases Stand
In February 2024, the federal cases were gathered before one judge, J. Philip Calabrese, in the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland. The group is called MDL 3092, and it holds about two thousand pending cases.
Three companies are defending the cases: Indivior Inc., Indivior Solutions, and Aquestive Therapeutics. Indivior's parent company, Indivior PLC, and two Reckitt Benckiser companies were dropped from the cases in September 2024.
At the end of 2024 the judge decided which claims could go forward. People may argue that the film was badly designed from the start. They may also argue that Indivior failed to warn them. The judge threw out the claims that the companies should have changed the film after the FDA approved it.
The court is now preparing test cases, which lawyers call bellwether trials. No trial date has been set, and there is no settlement. For the current case count, the test-case schedule, and the next hearing date, see Suboxone Lawsuit Updates.
Filing Deadlines
Every state sets its own deadline for an injury claim, called a statute of limitations. In many states it is two or three years. The clock usually starts when a person learned, or should have learned, that the injury could be tied to the product.
That makes your own dates important. When did you start and stop the film? When did the dental problems begin? When did you first hear they might be linked? The FDA warning in January 2022 may matter to that last question. A lawyer looking at your dates can tell you which deadline applies. For the basics, see Statute of Limitations Basics.
Wondering whether your deadline has passed? A free, no-obligation case review can look at your dates and tell you which rules apply in your state.
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What Information Matters in a Suboxone Case
A Suboxone case is built from pharmacy and dental records. The documents that carry the most weight:
- Pharmacy records showing which product you were given, brand or generic, and the dates
- Records from the doctor or clinic that prescribed it
- Dental records, X-rays, and treatment plans from before and after you started the film
- Bills and estimates for the dental work
- Photos of your teeth, if you have them
You do not need all of these to ask for a review. Pharmacies and dental offices can send copies, and a lawyer can request them for you. For more on records, see What Evidence Helps a Lawsuit?
Have dental bills or a treatment plan from while you were on the film? Those are some of the most useful papers to bring to a case review.
Get a Free Case ReviewEducational purposes only. Submitting the form on Lawsuit Center does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Common Questions About Suboxone Lawsuits
Is there a Suboxone settlement?
No. There is no settlement, no fund, and no claim form. The court is still preparing the first test cases, and no trial date has been set. The updates page tracks any change.
Can I still file a Suboxone lawsuit?
New cases are still being filed. Whether you can file depends on your state's deadline and your own dates. A lawyer who reviews those dates can tell you.
Should I stop taking Suboxone?
Not on your own. The FDA warns patients not to stop suddenly without talking to their prescriber, and it says the benefits of these medicines clearly outweigh the risks. Your prescriber can talk with you about your options.
Does it matter whether I took the film or the tablet?
Yes. The lawsuits are about the film. Many people took both at different times, so your pharmacy records showing which product you received, and when, matter.
What if I took a generic film?
The cases filed so far focus on Suboxone brand film. Claims involving generic film raise separate questions, so a lawyer will need to look at your records.
Who is being sued?
Indivior Inc. and Indivior Solutions, which sell Suboxone, and Aquestive Therapeutics, which makes the film.
How much is a Suboxone case worth?
No one can say yet. No case has gone to trial and there is no settlement. The value of any claim would depend on the dental damage, the cost of the repairs, and the other facts of the case.
Ask for a Free Case Review
Lawsuit Informer provides general educational information. When you are ready for a review of your own history, continue to Lawsuit Center for a free case review.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “FDA warns about dental problems with buprenorphine medicines dissolved in the mouth” (January 12, 2022) — the warning itself and the number of reports behind it.
- Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, Transfer Order, MDL No. 3092 — the order that sent the federal cases to the Northern District of Ohio.
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, MDL 3092 — the court’s page for the Suboxone film cases, with its orders.
- Opinion and Order on the motion to dismiss (December 31, 2024) — which claims may go forward and which were dismissed.
- Schedule A Complaint, In re Suboxone (Buprenorphine/Naloxone) Film Products Liability Litigation, No. 1:24-md-03092-JPC, ECF No. 100 (N.D. Ohio, filed June 14, 2024) (PDF) — the allegations about the film’s acidity, the move from tablet to film, the dental reports, and Sublocade.
- Court record, In re Suboxone (Buprenorphine/Naloxone) Film Products Liability Litigation, No. 1:24-md-03092-JPC (N.D. Ohio) — the dismissal of three defendants (September 10, 2024).
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