Richard L. Wynn, Ph.D., is a professor of pharmacology in the Department of Neural and Pain Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. He is a nationally recognized speaker, author, columnist, and consultant on dental drug therapeutics and drug information for the dental professional. He is the lead author of the most recognized chairside dental drug reference book, Drug Information Handbook for Dentistry, now in its 29th edition. Wynn keeps the dental profession informed about current issues relative to drugs in dentistry, including new therapeutic agents, new drug interactions, and newly reported adverse reactions in dental patients. He researches the literature daily for new reports of interest to the profession.

This 2-hour course is structured as two credits towards the new eight-hour DEA requirement for any practitioner with a DEA license or new applicants for the same. The objective for this new DEA requirement, as per the DEA website, is to “promote understanding of SUDs as well as their identification, treatment, and management”.

In December 2022, the U.S. Congress passed an omnibus spending bill that included the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act. This new law requires prescribers of controlled substances, including dentists, to complete eight hours of one-time training on safely prescribing controlled substances (Schedules II, III, IV, and/or V) in order to receive or renew their registration with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

This continuing dental education course focuses on equipping dental professionals with the knowledge and skills to effectively manage patients with opioids and other substance use disorders (SUDs). Participants will gain insights into the appropriate clinical use of all drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of substance disorders.

Outline:
1. Drugs/substances that are abused.
2. Common mechanism of repeated abuse.
3. Why the DEA focuses on opioids?
4. Prescription opioids and how they work.
5. Medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder-methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone
6. Dental concerns.

This course is approved by the Maryland State Board of Dental Examiners.  This new DEA requirement went into effect on
June 27, 2023, is only a one-time training requirement.

After the completion of this course the participants should be able to:

• List the common drugs/substances that are abused.
• Describe the mechanisms of the common medications implicated in substance abuse and opioid use disorder.
• Describe the mechanisms, interactions, and limitations of methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone used for treatment of substance use disorder in acute phase and maintenance phase.
• Compare and contrast the chemical structures of methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone to that of morphine.

Upon completion of the online course, participants are required to pass an online post-course assessment with a minimum grade of 75%.

Once the online course has been accessed, no refunds will be provided.

Cancellation and Refund Policies