Lleslie-fang-ada-opioideslie S. T. Fang, MD, PhD, a clinician-teacher at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, with an expertise in pharmacology and physiology, is offering a 3 CE credit online course that conforms to the new American Dental Association (ADA) policy on opioids.

The ADA has called on every U.S. dentist to receive continuing education in prescribing opioids and other controlled substances.

Fang’s course, The New ADA Policy on Opioid Prescriptions, is designed exclusively for dentists. The 3-hour course provides a review of all the safety protocols and regulations related to controlled substances. In addition, Fang, who is the author of Principle and Practice of Oral Medicine, Oral Medicine Secrets, teaches attendees how to optimize the use of non-narcotic painkillers.

A short excerpt of Fang’s lecture is available at drfangonline.com.

Fang offered a live version of this course to nearly 200 dentists in May and August 2018. These lectures were taped and will be used as the basis for his online class.

Every attendee who registers for the course will also receive The Ultimate Cheat Sheets: The Practical Guide for Dentists (2018 Edition), which serves as the “textbook” for the class. The Ultimate Cheat Sheets is a comprehensive chair-side resource. Fang is the lead author of the handbook.

“The ADA’s policy on opioids is designed to protect patients, but it will also safeguard dentists,” Fang says.

Published reports forecast that liability claims stemming from the opioid crisis could well dwarf the total of all cancer claims against Big Tobacco, with dentists likely to find themselves in the center of the legal crosshairs.

Fang estimates that only about 10% of the patients who dentists see will experience significant post-operative or post-treatment pain. Moreover, only about 5% of patients will feel pain that can be categorized as severe.

The Drug Enforcement Agency, state regulators, and the ADA have deliberately set the bar high for dentists before they are allowed to prescribe any narcotic, Fang says. Once dentists realize the hoops they are required to jump through to prescribe an opioid legally, Fang warns, “You’re going to take one look at this and say, ‘Wait a second here, you guys are making it painful to prescribe narcotics.'”

That, Fang adds, is the objective.

“The whole point is to dissuade you from using an excessive – particularly unnecessary – amount of narcotics,” he explains.

In addition to clearly spelling out the dental implications of the top 150 drugs prescribed in the United States, the latest edition of Fang’s Ultimate Cheat Sheets deals specifically with the ADA’s new policy regarding opioid prescriptions.

The Ultimate Cheat Sheets is designed to give dentists everything they require to stay abreast of the constantly changing FDA mandates, life-saving algorithms, and the steady stream of new drugs and their interactions. Nearly every pertinent clinical issue is condensed into a simple, color-coded, and user-friendly format to allow dentists to stay focused on the nuts and bolts of safe patient management.

Fang’s 3 CE credit online course, The New ADA Policy on Opioid Prescriptions, is priced at $169.95.

For a limited time, dentists who register for the class will also receive the 2018 Edition of The Ultimate Cheat Sheets – a $169.95 stand-alone value – at no additional charge.

Orders can be placed for the course and Ultimate Cheat Sheets by phoning 855-861-5106, or visiting drfangonline.com.

With their purchase, attendees will gain immediate access to their own, personalized course “dashboard,” allowing them to take Fang’s online class at their leisure. Upon successful completion of the video course and accompanying quiz, Fang will email attendees a certificate for 3 CE credits.