All About Drugs: Learning From Our Pharmacy Partners

Join us for 3 one-hour sessions presented by faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy. Dr. Joseph Best, DDS, PhD, a Marquette Dental graduate, oral surgeon and PhD in Pharmacology, will moderate the program adding a dental perspective as needed in the Q&A.

Session 1: Dental Antibiotic Prescribing 9:00-10:00 am Kristen Bunnell
This is one part of a three-part series related to medications and substances of abuse that may be relevant to dental practice. In this session, we will discuss common indications for antibiotics in dental clinics. We will review pertinent clinical practice guidelines, including the appropriate use of prophylactic antibiotics for dental procedures and appropriate empiric treatment for dental infections. A practical framework for addressing antibiotic allergies will also be presented. Any practicing dental practitioner could benefit from this session to improve the judicious use of antibiotics in their practice.
Session 2: This Won't Hurt a Bit: Pain Stewardship Considerations for Dentistry 10:00-11:00 am William Peppard
The session will offer prescribers an evidence-based approach to manage acute pain while taking into consideration efficacy, safety, and value of care. Care for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) will also be discussed, as well as other harm reduction and risk mitigation strategies.
Session 3: Cannabis Drug Interactions: What Dental Providers Need to Know 11:00 am-noon Abir El-Alfy
The recent surge in cannabis legalization has resulted in an all-time high of cannabis consumption. With the majority of the states currently operating legal medical cannabis programs, the total number of registered patients nationwide surpassed 4.5 million in 2022. In addition to medical use, recreational use of cannabis has also been on the rise following legalization of recreational cannabis in many states. Additional cannabis-based products have been introduced to the market including cannabidiol and delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol. With such widespread cannabis consumption, it is crucial for healthcare providers to fully understand the pharmacological effects of various cannabis products. Drug interactions resulting from the concomitant use of cannabis products can result from pharmacodynamic or pharmacokinetic interactions. Proper understanding of such interactions is crucial in determining/adjusting drug dosage to ensure a therapeutic effect and minimize adverse reactions. The objective of this presentation to provide an overview of reported and potential drug interactions associated with cannabis use and various drug classes commonly used in oral health care.

Course Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify appropriate indications for antibiotic prophylaxis prior to a dental procedure

• Select an appropriate antibiotic regimen for patients who require antibiotic prophylaxis prior to a dental procedure

• Recall clinically relevant adverse effects and drug interactions with antibiotics that are commonly used in dental practice

• Recognize and avoid high-risk opioid prescribing for the management of acute dental pain

• Devise a treatment plan for acute dental pain in a patient taking chronic buprenorphine for the management of opioid use disorder

• Implement practical opioid risk mitigation strategies into one's practice

• Describe the potential drug interactions between cannabis and drugs used in dental practice

• Describe the components and reported pharmacological effects of cannabis

Educational Method: Live Lecture