The Opioid Epidemic and Dental Pain Management: Past, Present, and Future

Saturday, September 27, 2025

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Credits: 2

COURSE DESCRIPTION: 

The lecture will discuss how a misunderstanding of substance use disorders (SUD) as a disease led health care providers to have a significant role in the initiation and continuation of the opioid epidemic. The lecture will also discuss how emerging and increased knowledge of SUD and dental pain led to considerable corrections of these past practices. The lecture will present synapses of this emergent understanding. Finally, the lecture will propose a future role of society, healthcare providers, and dentists in preventing SUD and addiction. The speaker has a financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with the corporate organization offering financial support or grant monies for this continuing dental education program.

OBJECTIVES:

  1. The historical role of healthcare providers (including dentists) in the genesis of the current opioid epidemic in the US (the past).
  2. The current understanding of Substance Use Disorder (SUD), addiction, and acute dental pain, and how to integrate this knowledge into evidence-based management of acute dental pain and patients with SUD (the present).
  3. The future role of healthcare providers (and dentists) in preventing and managing addiction and pain. (Future)
SPEAKER: Dr. Omar Abubaker

 

Dr. A. Omar Abubaker, DMD, PhD, received his degrees from the School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh. He also completed his residency training and OMFS fellowship in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Presbyterian University Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

The speaker has a financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with the corporate organization offering financial support or grant monies for this continuing dental education program.

The VDA Team does not have any financial arrangements/affiliations to disclose relating to the content of this presentation.

This course is sponsored by:

DentaQuest

The Virginia Dental Association is an ADA CERP-recognized provider.

ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry. The Virginia Dental Association designates each activity with the noted CE credits. Please refer to the description of each activity for the number of CE credits. The VAPD continuing education activities have been planned and implemented in accordance with the standards of the ADA Continuing Education Recognition Program (ADA CERP) through joint efforts between VAPD and VDA. Concerns or complaints about a CE provider may be directed to the provider or to ADA CERP at ADA.org/CERP.