Richard L. Wynn, PhD, is professor emeritus 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.

Dr. 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.  

The second part of Program 4 covers the pharmacodynamics and clinical applications of benzodiazepines. Participants will learn about the history, mechanism of action, and various medical uses of these drugs, as well as the differences between anxiolytic and hypnotic benzodiazepines.

Upon completion of Program Four, Part 2, participants will be able to:

• Name the most widely used benzodiazepine up to the 1960s.
• List three primary actions of diazepam.
• Identify benzodiazepines that are more anxiolytic than hypnotic.
• Identify benzodiazepines that are more hypnotic than anxiolytic.
• Describe the molecular mechanism of benzodiazepines.
• List three medical uses of diazepam.
• List three medical uses of alprazolam.
• Compare the relative durations of action of different benzodiazepines.
• Describe the metabolic pathways for diazepam, triazolam, alprazolam, and lorazepam.

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.

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