The New Mexico Dental Association is excited to offer CE courses!  Our first series of three courses, titled "Managing Pain Safely," will fulfill state requirements for 3 hours of pain management training.  Each video is 40-50 minutes of informative and educational content.

VIDEO 1: Managing Pain Safely: Pain and Pain Management 

Course Objectives:
• Understand the nature and physiological basis of pain
• Understand the pharmacological management of pain
• Understand the principles of pain management with narcotic-sparing techniques

Course Description:
Pain plays an important role in our experience of life and is an essential protective mechanism.  Managing the pain that arises from disease or treatment is a fundamental function of dentistry.  This video gives viewers a better understanding of what pain is and how it arises.  It reviews the pharmacological armamentarium for pain management with a focus on intended and side effects.  It suggests principles for management of pain utilizing a combination of prevention, pharmacological and non-pharmacological techniques.

VIDEO 2: Managing Pain Safely: Prescribing Best Practices 

Course Objectives:
• Understand the history, scope and causes of the opioid abuse epidemic
• Understand the role and responsibility of dentists in addressing the epidemic
• Understand the best practices for making prescriptions for controlled substances and available resources
• Understand the use of the Prescription Monitoring Program to improve prescribing
• Understand the recent federal and state regulations affecting prescribers including the prescribing of an opioid antagonist to prevent overdose death

Course Description:
The widespread abuse of prescribed narcotics has resulted in an epidemic of societal misery and overdose deaths.  Prescribers have an important role in the cause of this crisis and an essential responsibility in addressing it.  This video gives dentist prescribers a better understanding of the epidemic and their role in preventing its spread.  It explains the use of the Prescription Monitoring Program to inform patient-oriented prescribing and prevent misuse, abuse and diversion.  Recent federal and state regulations are reviewed as they affect dentists and their prescribing of narcotic medications.

VIDEO 3: Managing Pain Safely: Dependence and Addiction

Course Objectives:
• Understand the scope, etiology and physiological basis of addictive disease
• Understand the principles of treating and managing addictive disease
• Understand the dentist’s responsibility in preventing addictive disease and treating recovering addicts
• Understand the professional’s vulnerability to addictive disease and the resources available to manage it

Course Description:
Addiction is an insidious disease that affects a significant percentage of the population both directly and indirectly.  Although often misunderstood, it is manageable, like many chronic diseases, when we understand that nature and cause of the disease.  This video provides insights into those causes and what dentists can do to prevent and manage the disease appropriately.  By better understanding the scope and nature of the disease, dental professionals will appreciate their own vulnerabilities and gain empathy for patients struggling with the it.  It provides practical suggestions to identify patients at risk for addictive disease and how dental professionals can take a wholistic approach to helping patients to seek treatment.