ADA Webinar on Implementing Opioid Risk Assessment during Dental Treatment

The abuse and diversion of opioids continues to be a serious public health problem in the United States.According to a recent report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 49,860 opioid overdose deaths occurred in the United States in 2019, a 1% increase from 2018.

Dental healthcare personnel (DHCP) with the authority to prescribe opioids can help to combat the opioid problem by:

• Diagnosing and treating pain using sound clinical judgment, which may involve the prescribing of opioids. Dentists should always prescribe the lowest effective dose and only the quantity needed depending on the expected length of pain.
• Minimizing the potential for adverse effects to pain management, including the abuse and diversion of opioids.

To help educate the DHCP on preventing opioid abuse, the American Dental Association (ADA) will stream a webinar covering evidence-based strategies for incorporating controlled substance risk assessment into dental practices on July 21^st from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Central time. According to the ADA, the webinar will discuss how to “recognize patient risk factors for misuse and abuse of controlled substances”, as well as “review tools for assessing patient risk, including validated screeners and state prescription drug monitoring program databases”.

To register for the webinar, click here.