Pharmacology

Title

Americans use of legal psychiatric and illicit drugs.

Description

This course will dive into the U.S. market of legal psychiatric prescription drugs and illicit drug abuse. According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 20% of the United States population suffers from a mental health illness and 15% utilize prescription medications in their disease management. This population is also at higher risk for abusing illicit drugs as a form of self-medicating. The oral health care provider needs to stay current on these medications and their side effects to safely administer treatment. The pharmacology, mechanism of action, side effects, and use of prescription psychiatric medications with a brief overview of the mental illness they are designed to treat will be discussed. Illicit drug statistics, mechanisms of action, side effects, and abuse potential are presented with a focus on the opioid crisis and legalization of marijuana.

Educational Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the oral health care provider will be able to:


Title

America on Drugs.

Description

This course will provide the dental team with a practical approach to learning more about their patient’s prescription drug use. Prescription drug sales is a multi-billion industry in the U.S., accounting for 11% of the overall U.S. health care expenditures. This course will present the most prescribed, and most profitable, prescription medications in the U.S. market. The oral health care provider is likely to encounter patients each day who are taking these medications for a variety of conditions. Through reviewing the systemic and oral side effects, pharmacology, and the mechanism of action of these medications, alongside the conditions they are designed to treat, the provider will increase their confidence in patient treatment.

Educational Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the oral health care provider will be able to:



Title

A Dental Providers Drug Reference for the U.S. Opioid Epidemic.

Description

Opioid abuse and deaths from overdose have reached epidemic levels in the United States. This drug class causes significant systemic changes and carry a high risk for tolerance, dependence, and addiction. Dental providers who have the authority to prescribe opioids own a responsibility to the public to ensure appropriate pain management protocols are followed so patients do not run the risk of developing a debilitating addiction. This course will present commonly abused opioids and statistics, the pharmacodynamics of non-narcotic and narcotic opioids analgesics, as well as pain origin and management related to dentistry.

 Educational Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the oral health care provider will be able to: