Which Medication Now? – Considerations for Dental Pain Management and Navigating Substance Use Disorders

This course is aimed at providing 1.5 hours in total of CE which can be credited towards the DEA-MATE mandated hours for new or renewal application of DEA license. The course is intended to provide review of medication-related considerations for pain management and substance use.

The course will discuss updates on dental pain guidelines and review of pharmacotherapy management of dental pain. It will also review most common pharmacotherapy treatments for different substance use disorders and their implications for dental care. Additional review of risk mitigation strategies and how to engage with other healthcare providers (including pharmacies) to discuss controlled substance prescribing patterns will be included.

At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Discuss updated national pain guidelines for acute dental pain
• Discuss pain management considerations for patients with various co-morbidities
• Describe risk mitigation strategies that can be applied in dental practice

Ms. Sanders, is a clinical assistant professor in the Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She also has a shared appointment as an assistant professor in the UNC Adams School of Dentistry. Sanders earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Purdue University. She completed a one-year pharmacy practice residency at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center as well as a two-year academic postdoctoral research fellowship in pharmacy practice model advancement at UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She is a board certified pharmacotherapy specialist. She is primarily involved in maintaining a partnership between the schools of pharmacy and dentistry through initiatives to develop, implement, and evaluate clinical pharmacy services in dental practice clinics as well as teaching on medication management related matters to oral health. She has precepted pharmacy learners in the dental setting as well as collaborates with dental and social work faculty to provide interprofessional clinical experiences. She also serves on North Carolina's Dental Opioid Workgroup led by the NC DHHS Oral Health Section and actively provides continuing education presentations on opioid prescribing and medication-related topics to dental providers across the state.