Important Licensure Renewal Reminder: 2 CE of Opioid Prescribing a new Requirement

All Wisconsin dentists and dental hygienists must renew their licenses by Sept. 30, 2019. The Dentistry Examining Board expects licensees to complete a licensure renewal form and attest that they have completed the required hours (30 for dentists and 12 for dental hygienists) of continuing education for the two-year licensure period and have a current certificate of proficiency in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillators.

It’s important to remember a new requirement in place for the 2019 and 2021 licensure periods: In an effort to combat the opioid epidemic, ALL dentists (regardless of specialty) are required by law to have two of their 30 CE hours be on responsible opioid prescribing. While the DEB has chosen not to actively approve or disapprove courses for this requirement, the WDA wants members to be aware of courses that are available. Please see below for applicable courses, taking note of the amount of credit hours granted for each:

• Archived FREE Boston University’s “Safe Opioid Prescribing for Acute Dental Pain” – 1 CE credit

In addition to the above FREE webinar, these online courses are available for a fee and are eligible for CE credit:

• Safe and Responsible Prescribing of Opioid Analgesics (new ADA 2018)
• Pharmacotherapeutics for Dental Practitioners: Analgesics Clinical Implications  
• JADA July 2016 – Dentalopioid prescribing and multiple opioid prescriptions among dental patients
• JADA April 2018 – Opioid Prescribing Practices from 2010 through 2015 among dentists in the United States
• JADA May 2018 – Opioid Prescribing and Risk Mitigation implementation in the management of acute pain
• JADA July 2018 – Multiple opioid prescriptions among privately insured dental patients in the United States
• JADA December 2018 – A scoping review exploring the opioid prescribing practices of US dental professionals

If audited, licensees must present proof of CE requirement completion. Licensees are responsible for keeping evidence of their CE activities for six years and should diligently maintain CE information and records.

If your local dental society is interested in offering a CE opportunity at an upcoming component meeting, please contact Amy Bastic, WDA Component Relations Coordinator, at [email protected] for information.