An interesting blog post from the California Dental Association titled “Dentists can help prevent fentanyl deaths” News Articles, 2023, Community, Patient Care, Practice Management, Clinical, encouages Californian based dentists to play an active role in community efforts of the opioid/fentanyl crisis and in particular to help toraise awareness and increase access to naloxone.
Fentanyl is a highly potent opioid that is estimated to be 50-100 times more powerful than morphine. Naloxone is a lifesaving medication that helps to reverse opioid overdoses. Narcan used to be limited for access without a prescription. In July 2023, the U.S. FDA approved two naloxone nasal sprays: Narcan and RiVive, which can now be purchased in over the counter at drug stores, grocery stores, and gas stations.
Now the the dental board of California requires dentists to take continuing education courses on opioid prescribing to renew their licenses. In partnership with California Dental Association, the Western University of Health Sciences created an online course to satisfy the requirement for license renewal. Dentists and their staff can now also receive training on how to administer naloxone which can be helpful in responding to overdose emergencies The California Department of Public Health offers videos and webinars for healthcare providers.
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Dentists can also take an active role in community outreach efforts to raise awareness about the fentanyl crisis. This can include educating patients about the risks associated with opioid use and the importance of naloxone availability. The blog post states:
“The fentanyl crisis is a public health emergency that requires a collective effort to combat. California dentists can make a significant impact by taking steps to prevent opioid misuse, educating their communities and supporting the distribution of naloxone.”
Some patients are upset that many addictions to pioids begin when patients are prescribed opioids after dental procedures. These topic has been discussed before on this site see for example, Factors that Influence Opioid Prescribing After Teeth Removal and Dentists Overprescribing Opioids to Adults in the U.S.. Certainly efforts dentists take to help increase access to naloxone to their patients and better respond to patients who are facing opioid addiciton can be seen as a postive step for them in the community.
Thank you for providing such helpful information.