OPIOID PRESCRIBING AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE RECOGNITION IN YOUR DENTAL OFFICE

Supported by an educational grant from
Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) and
UB School of Dental Medicine

Opioids are analgesics that have significant potential for misuse, abuse and addiction. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2012, U.S. health care providers wrote nearly 260 million prescriptions for opioid pain relievers. The Food and Drug Administration reports that dentists prescribe 12% of all immediate-release opioid prescriptions in the United States*. Erie County has experienced an exponential increase in opioid related deaths. In 2014, the Erie County Medical Examiner's Office reported 128 opioid related deaths and the estimated number of opioid related deaths in 2015 will likely more than double.

Dentists can play a major role in reducing risks associated with opioid analgesics, particularly fatal drug overdose by:

·      Relying on non-opioid pain management strategies, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or acetaminophen as first line pain management

·      Using a 3-day supply of a short-acting opioids only if other measures to relieve pain are not likely to be effective

·      Understanding how to effectively screen for drug misuse and diversion

·      In this educational session, participants will learn:

·      Safe, effective, pain management prescribing practices for dental procedures

·      Screening patients for substance use disorders

·      Developing a referral network for the treatment of substance use disorders

JADA, July 2011

Recommended for...DENTISTS.

Richard E. Hall, DDS, MD, PhD has been actively involved in education, administration and research his entire career. He graduated summa cum laude from SUNY at Buffalo with a BA in Biology, received his dental degree cum laude from the SUNY at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine in 1978 and his MD degree from SUNY at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in 1993.

Following completion of dental school, Dr. Hall completed a 6-year combined Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/PhD program at the University of Rochester, Strong Memorial Hospital and Genesee Hospital in 1984. On completion of the program, he became a full-time faculty member in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at SUNY at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. In that position, he was instrumental in establishing the combined Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/MD training program and served as Program Director from 1994 - 2004. He is presently chairman of the department at the School of Dental Medicine, Chief of Service of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and President of the Medical/Dental Staff at the Erie County Medical Center. He has clinical and lecture responsibilities with all four years of dental school classes, he has presented numerous times at local, state, national and international meetings on a wide range of topics. Dr. Hall believes that the three primary functions of our faculty are education, patient care and service.

Dr. Hall is not associated with, employed by, nor consults for, any manufacturer, supplier, or retailer of dental instruments or materials.