OVERVIEW

Opioid Prescribing in Dentistry is organized by Dental Learning Systems, LLC and will be held from Mar 02, 2017 - Mar 31, 2020. This CME Conference has been approved for a maximum of 2.00 Credits.

Description:
Prescription opioid abuse and the associated consequences are increasing at an alarming rate in the United States. Dentists are the second-highest prescribers of immediate-release opioids in the United States, often prescribing these medications in quantities in excess of what is needed by the patient. These medications may be acquired and used by a drug-seeking patient, or obtained by an abuser through a friend or family member who did not use his or her entire prescription. Because of the critical role that dentists have in pain management and the frequent prescribing of opioids, dentists have an ethical obligation to prescribe responsibly yet cautiously to diminish the potential for opioid diversion and to help minimize the growth of the current epidemic in opioid abuse. Through alterations in the attitudes of patients and dentists, the dentist can manage the pain of the patient while minimizing diversion potential through careful procedural techniques, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, and limited opioid prescriptions of appropriate quantities when deemed necessary.

Learning Objectives:
• Discuss why it is important for dentists to know the trending data relating to prescription drug abuse.
• Identify the main pathways of legally obtaining prescription pain medication for illicit use.
• Describe some of the telltale signs of a drug-seeking dental patient.

Additional details will be posted as soon as they are available.