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03/17/2017

OSOMS President's Update - March 2017

Dear OSOMS Members:

Since Ohio Governor John Kasich has implemented one of the nation’s most aggressive approaches to fighting opioid addiction and drug abuse, we need be aware of the laws affecting our practices as oral and maxillofacial surgeons.  Effective April 1, 2017, anyone who has a conscious sedation permit or general anesthesia permit will need to obtain a TDDD license because they possess scheduled drugs.  Overall, oral and maxillofacial surgeons will need a TDDD license if they (1) engage in compounding or possess dangerous compounded drugs or (2) possess any schedule I, II, III, IV, or V controlled substances.  Dentists who engage in compounding or possess dangerous compounded drugs will have to comply with regulations specific to compounding.  Dentists that possess controlled substances will have to establish proper security protocols, comply with recordkeeping requirements as well as conduct an annual inventory of all controlled substances.  There are also a couple of other regulations TDDD licensees must generally comply with regarding labeling requirements and reporting theft or loss of dangerous drugs.  Please see the informative article written by Nathan Delong, Esq. in ODA Today for more details or contact me for a copy.

It might help cushion the blow of more government regulation and overlapping oversight by the Pharmacy Board if you read the article by P. Angela Rake, DDS, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, March 2017 entitled, Grieving the Loss of a Brother Who Is Still Alive.  In this article, she describes how her well-educated brother fell into heroin addiction after being prescribed Percocet for pain after testicular cancer treatment.  He became physically dependent and deteriorated into a heroin addict.  The author points out that physical dependency to opioids can occur after nine days of opioid use.  Since prescription opioid addiction is expensive, many seek heroin which is cheaper.  In the United States, we have 5% of the world’s population, but we use 80% of the world’s oxycocodone and 99% of the world’s hydrocodone.  This emotional article may help you understand the push to control and monitor prescribers.  If you have not rethought your prescribing practices, please do so now.  The Toledo Dental Society compiled a nice summary of analgesic prescribing guidelines and it is listed in the ODA Today, December 2016.

Please register for our 2017 Annual Meeting.  The simulation based training session on April 28, 2017 is cutting edge.  There are a few spaces left.  The Saturday meeting on April 29, 2017 is entitled "Medical Management of the Oral/Maxillofacial Surgical Patient" and is being presented by Steven M. Roser, DMD, MD, FACS.  Saturday's session will fulfill our 6 hours of C.E. for anesthesia.  Thank you to Kelly Kennedy for arranging this meeting.  We will also have an Executive Board meeting on Friday evening April 28, 2017.  Please plan to attend these events!

Sincerely,

Robert J. Dornauer, DDS
OSOMS President 2016-2017

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