Treating Between the Lines: Understanding Rx and Illicit Drug Abuse (3 CEs)

Date: Friday, October 17, 2025
Time: 8:45am - 12:00pm
Location: Virtual

Registration Coming Soon

Course Description

Substance abuse is at an all-time “high” in this country with an estimated 1 out of every6Americans addicted to prescription or illicit drugs. As dental professionals, we must awaken to the reality that many of our patients have substance-use disorders and that our examination findings of advanced caries, severe hyposalivation, and poor plaque control are often the effects of depressant, stimulant, and opioid abuse. Learn how to recognize the clues of substance abuse from a routine dental examination, discuss your concerns and suspicions with patients, develop and deliver safe and effective dental treatment, and manage pain with non-opioid medications. *Note: Course content does not include marijuana

Educational Objectives:

Participants will Learn: 

  • How to identify the three categories of drugs (opioids, depressants, and stimulants) most abused by patients
  • How to recognize the physical, behavioral, and oral clues of substance misuse during a routine dental examination
  • How to discuss substance misuse with patients using motivational-interviewing techniques 
  • Office policies that safeguard both patients and practices
  • Evidence-based practices for managing dental pain with non-addictive analgesics
  • How to develop treatment plans, using a caries-risk assessment for patients with substance-use disorders

Meet the Speaker

Dr. Ronni Brown

Ronni Brown, DDS, MPH, FADI

 

Contact Information:

Email: Ronni@DrRonniBrown.com 

Website: https://drronnibrown.com/ 

 

About:

Dr. Ronni Brown is a leader in dental public health who strives t achieve equitable oral health for vulnerable populations. For 27 years, Dr. Brown practiced at the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility in Northern California where she treated patients whose lives and smiles were impacted by poverty, substance abuse, and incarceration. Her research on the impacts of drug use patterns on caries severity has garnered international interest and positioned her as an expert on the oral effects of substance-use disorders. She is the author of the #1 Amazon Best Seller "A State of Decay": Your Dental Guide to Understanding and Treating Meth Mouth" and a contributing author to the National Institute of Health's, Oral Health in America Report. She is a member of the American Dental Association, California Dental Association, and the American Association of Public Health Dentistry. In her new position as the Senior Community Health Planner for San Mateo County in Northern California, Dr. Brown is implementing evidence-based strategies to address the county's overdose epidemic.