Don't You... Forget To Ask About Me! - Illicit Drugs, Licit Drugs Used Illicitly and Management of Substance Use Disorder
Live Event

Don't You... Forget To Ask About Me! - Illicit Drugs, Licit Drugs Used Illicitly and Management of Substance Use Disorder

Wed, Dec 16th, 2026
6:00pm – 8:00pm US Eastern Time
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About the Event

This program provides dental professionals with the tools to recognize the oral and behavioral manifestations of substance use disorder (SUD), manage treatment safely and compassionately, and navigate the complexities of care coordination, relapse risk, and stigma.

Live Event
This live online event will be held as a Zoom Webinar. Attendees will have the option to interact through features such as the Chat and Q&A, but cameras and microphones will not be enabled.

Live Event Instructor

Thomas Viola

Thomas Viola

With over 30 years of experience as a board-certified pharmacist, clinical educator, professional speaker, and published author, Tom Viola has earned his international reputation as the go-to specialist for making pharmacology practical and useful for all members of the dental team. As the founder of Pharmacology Declassified, Tom provides valuable insight into the complex interplay between pharmacology and physiology so that clinicians may be knowledgeable about the dental considerations of general medicine and the medical considerations of general dentistry. As an educator, Tom is a member of the faculty of over 10 dental professional degree programs and has received several awards for outstanding teacher of the year. As an author, Tom is well known for his contributions to several professional journals and pharmacology textbooks and currently serves as a consultant to the ADA’s Council on Scientific Affairs. As a speaker, Tom has been recognized by many industry organizations and associations as a leader in continuing dental education and has presented over 1000 informative and engaging seminars and webinars to dental professionals since 2001.

Target Audience

This live interactive is intended for Dentistry professionals, including dentistries. It is appropriate for beginner levels of knowledge.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

  1. 1 Identify the most common illicit and licit substances of abuse and dependence, including street names, common adverse effects, oral manifestations, and dental treatment considerations.
  2. 2 Describe the impact of substance dependence and abuse on dental therapy and overall patient health.
  3. 3 List techniques useful for identifying and successfully managing patient substance use and dependency.

Lynch, M. J., Pizon, A. F., & Yealy, D. M. (2026). Emergence of medetomidine in the illicit drug supply: implications for emergency care and withdrawal management. Annals of Emergency Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2025.12.004

Smith, K. E., Feldman, J. D., Freinberg, C., Shade, S., & Grundmann, O. (2025). Systematic review of clinical case reports involving tianeptine products:“Gas station heroin” hype or fact?. Current Addiction Reports, 12(1), 31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-025-00640-z

Teoh, L., Moses, G., & McCullough, M. J. (2019). Oral manifestations of illicit drug use. Australian dental journal, 64(3), 213-222. https://doi.org/10.1111/adj.12709

Shetty, V., Harrell, L., Murphy, D. A., Vitero, S., Gutierrez, A., Belin, T. R., ... & Spolsky, V. W. (2015). Dental disease patterns in methamphetamine users: Findings in a large urban sample. The Journal of the American Dental Association, 146(12), 875-885. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2015.09.012

Reyad, M.-M., Wanes, K., & Ouanounou, A. (2025). Oral health in the age of cannabis: Pharmacology, implications and dental management. Journal of the Canadian Dental Association, 91, p12. https://jcda.ca/article/p12

Disclosure to Learners

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Faculty

There are no known relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

Use our CE Approvals tool to look up your state requirements and how can help you meet them, or log in to your member account to show approvals relevant to your licensure.

Joint Accreditation (JA)

2 Dentist CE credit hours
Eligible until Dec 16th, 2026
In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems, LLC, is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
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Logo: Jointly Accredited Provider (tm) - Interprofessional Continuing Education

American Dental Association (ADA CERP)

2 CE credit hours
Eligible until Dec 16th, 2026
CE Learning Systems 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. Concerns or complaints about a CE provider may be directed to the provider or to the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition at CCEPR.ADA.org. CE Learning Systems designates this activity for 2 continuing education credits.
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Event Agenda

Agenda times are listed in US Eastern Time. That is 3 hours later than US Pacific Time. The event starts at 3:00pm US Pacific Time.

6:00–6:10 PM: Introduction

6:10–6:25 PM: Part I – The Substance-Dependent Patient

6:25–6:45 PM: Part II – Stimulants

6:45–7:05 PM: Part III – Depressants

7:05–7:25 PM: Part IV – Novel Opioids

7:25–7:45 PM: Part V – Hallucinogens

7:45–8:00 PM: Conclusion and Q&A

Policies

If a grievance arises pertaining to your participation in our continuing education activities, please contact our support team immediately. See our full grievance policy for more information.

ADA accommodations will be made in accordance with the law; please indicate your special needs when you register by contacting us.

Up to 30 days prior to the event, live event registrations may be canceled for a refund via the current courses tab in your member account. Less than 30 days prior to the event, live event registration purchases are not eligible for a refund, but can be transferred to a different event. Please contact our support team for assistance with changing your registration.

  • This is a live event, hosted via Zoom Webinar. you may be prompted to download or upgrade your Zoom app if using a mobile device. A strong WiFi/internet connection will be required for best quality.

  • We recommend clicking your "Join Webinar" button early and checking that your speakers are on before the event begins. Please do not worry about being seen or heard! Attendee video feeds and mics are turned off by default when entering a webinar. You will be able to ask questions via the Q&A feature. You may test your Zoom connection prior to the event at the Zoom Test page .

  • Please respect that no copying, recording, or distribution of live session content is allowed.

We report all course and event completions to CE Broker. If your licensing board uses CE Broker for CE tracking, please be sure to enter your correct license information in your account.

If you need to cancel your registration for a webinar, please contact our support team for assistance prior to the event. Please note our refund policy, above.

If the activity must be cancelled by the provider, all attendees will receive an email notifying them of the cancellation. The email will also provide details about transferring the registration to another educational activity or receiving a refund of the registration fee. As always, you can contact our support team if you have questions or concerns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you register, you'll receive an email with the link and instructions to join the live event. The event will be hosted via Zoom. You may test your Zoom connection prior to the event at the Zoom Test page We recommend logging in 10-15 minutes early to be sure your connection is ready.

Most live events are recorded and made available to registered participants for a limited time after the event. Check your event materials for specific details about recording availability.

Certificates for live events are typically available within shortly after the event concludes, as soon as attendance verification is completed. You'll receive an email notification when your certificate is ready to download.

If the event is recorded, you may be able to access the recording after the live session. Contact support for information about makeup options for your specific event.

If you need to withdraw 30 or more days before the event, you can do this your self from your current courses tab.

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