Opioid misuse and overdose are at an epidemic level in the state and the country, driven by a myriad of factors including COVID, poverty, homelessness, mental illness, and professional overprescribing of opioids. This course aims to address the complex issues associated with substance use disorders and the role of dental professionals in addressing the opioid crisis by screening for substance use disorders, referring patients for sobriety and recovery support, and providing evidence-based pain management. This course satisfies 1.5 hours of the DEA MATE requirement for registrant renewal.

Participants will learn:

• How to identify patients at risk or with a substance use disorder
• Describe the requirements of a Schedule II drug as defined by the United States Controlled Substance Act
• Identify opioid and non-opioid strategies for dental pain management
• Recognize symptoms of an opioid overdose and how to treat with opioid antagonists
• The regulatory requirements for prescribers of opioids including utilization of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program databases
• Harm reduction strategies for patients with opioid-use disorders

Presenters:

Ronni Brown DDS, MPH

More courses with Ronni Brown

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.