Accelerating Your Understanding of “Meth Mouth”

With methamphetamine being the second most widely abused drug in the world, it is likely that you are treating patients who use methamphetamine and have “meth mouth”; teeth that are rotted, blackened, and broken. Many clinicians are not aware of the signs and symptoms of methamphetamine use, or the medical, legal, and ethical issues associated with treating the addicted patient.

In this interactive webinar, discover why methamphetamine is the “hot” street drug and why users will give up their smile for a meth high. Learn how to recognize the oral, physical and behavioral clues of methamphetamine abuse and how to communicate your concerns to your patients. Learn how to treat patients with “meth mouth” effectively and safely and recognize your professional responsibilities and your own personal boundaries in treating patients with methamphetamine-use disorders.

Participants will learn:

• The global and national prevalence of methamphetamine-use disorders
• What methamphetamine is and why it is more addictive than other illicit drugs
• The signs of methamphetamine use that are evident during a routine dental examination
• How to integrate behavioral health into oral health including substance-use screening, communication, and referral strategies
• How to develop treatment plans using caries-risk/drug-use pattern assessment
• Evidence-based prescribing practices for management of dental pain

Presenters:

Ronni Brown DDS, MPH

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Dr. Ronni Brown is a leader in dental public health who strives to achieve equitable oral health for vulnerable populations. For 27 years, Dr. Brown practiced at the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility in Northern California where she treated patients whose lives and smiles were impacted by poverty, substance abuse, and incarceration. Her research on the impacts of drug use patterns on caries severity has garnered international interest and positioned her as an expert on the oral effects of substance-use disorders. She is the author of the #1 Amazon Best Seller “A State of Decay”: Your Dental Guide to Understanding and Treating Meth Mouth and a contributing author to the National Institute of Health’s, Oral Health in America Report. She is a member of  the American Dental Association, California Dental Association, and the American Association of Public Health Dentistry. In her new position as the Senior Community Health Planner for San Mateo County in Northern California, Dr. Brown looks forward to creating strategic action plans to address the county’s opioid epidemic.