South Carolina Dentist Online CE Package

At the end of this package, licensees will be able to:

Domestic Violence - The Dental Practitioner's Fight

• Describe the various categories of domestic violence.
• Identify underlying motivating factors that contribute to domestic violence.
• Describe common characteristics of both domestic violence victims and perpetrators.
• Identify common warning signs of domestic violence.

HIV/AIDS - Infection Control

• Describe the stages of HIV infection and their clinical manifestations.
• Identify common modes of HIV transmission.
• Identify populations at high risk for HIV infection.
• Describe legal considerations related to HIV testing.

Pharmacology of Local Anesthetics and Sedation Overview for the Dental Office

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

• Discuss the mechanism of pain perception
• Describe how local anesthetics function in the body
• Identify safe and effective local anesthetics for managing perioperative dental pain
• Discuss issues related to the safe handling and storage of local anesthetics
• Describe ways to reduce needle-insertion pain
• Discuss the process for reversing soft-tissue anesthesia
• Describe risk factors and precautions related to the administration of local anesthetics

Medical Emergencies in the Dental Office

• Discuss procedure-specific and patient-specific risk factors that can lead to dental emergencies in oral health care settings
• Describe steps that dental professionals can take to prepare for a medical emergency
• Describe the steps involved in performing a primary patient survey during an emerging perioperative event

Controlled Substance Prescribing in Dentistry

• Describe the origins and scope of the current opioid crisis in the United States
• Identify current trends in opioid prescribing in the dental profession
• Identify the various types of opioid medications and their mechanisms of action
• Describe how opioids affect the body and the brain
• Describe the most common pain medications used in dentistry
• Distinguish between opioid tolerance, dependence, and addiction
• Describe the symptoms of opioid withdrawal
• Distinguish between opioid agonists, agonist-antagonists, and antagonists
• Identify the most common sources of opioid misuse and diversion
• Describe steps that dentists can take to ensure the safe handling, storage, and prescription of opioid medications
• Describe the importance of screening for substance disorders in dental practice.
• Describe the function and impact of prescription drug monitoring programs in curbing opioid misuse and diversion
• Outline the American Dental Association’s stance on the use of opioids in the treatment of dental pain