Dental Prescribing from A to Z: Antibiotics, Analgesics, Sedatives, Zopiclone – and much more! A Zoom Webinar

“Pharmacalifragilisticexpialidocious…Even Though the Sound of it is Something Quite Atrocious!"

Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacogenomics represent some of the most groundbreaking frontiers in modern medicine, yet they are frequently weighed down by dry, theoretical slides and rote memorization. This dynamic, case-based multimedia presentation transforms complex pharmacology into practical, chairside strategies you can implement immediately in your practice. 

Designed specifically for dental health professionals, Dr. Donaldson bridges the gap between academic science and daily clinical application. You will gain a clear understanding of how the body processes introduced medications and how these principles directly apply to your prescribers, clinical team, and patients. By mastering modern pharmacology in an engaging, meaningful way, you will enhance your prescribing confidence, uphold the core oath to "first, do no harm," and ensure safer, more successful appointments for every patient. 

Core Focus: Clinical application of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacogenomics. 
Key Takeaway: Enhanced prescribing safety, improved treatment outcome predictability, and actionable chairside strategies. 

Learn How To

• Discuss the principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
• Understand the concept of bioavailability and half-life.
• Describe the basic model of drug interactions and strategies to avoid them.
• Learn to be a better prescriber by understanding how medications are physiologically managed. 
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of oral medications versus other routes of administration.
• Recognize strategies that can lead to better outcomes and more successful appointments.

We Can Do Better Than the White-Knuckle Technique! The Art of Oral Sedation

Dental anxiety is a learned cycle where fear drives care avoidance, ultimately leading to advanced dental pathology. While traditional distraction techniques and calming dialogue remain valuable, modern dentistry increasingly relies on safe, targeted pharmacological interventions to break this cycle and restore patient comfort. 

The use of oral benzodiazepines—such as triazolam and lorazepam, with or without nitrous oxide—has significantly expanded to help manage perioperative fear. Navigating this area requires an in-depth understanding of evolving state board regulations, pharmacological principles, and strict safety standards. This interactive, high-energy session examines both the art and science of oral conscious sedation, translating academic principles into predictable clinical workflows. Practitioners will review essential safety protocols, including pulse oximetry monitoring and emergency pharmacological antagonists, while gaining practical strategies to implement safe in-office anxiolysis. 

Core Focus: Safe, effective implementation of oral conscious sedation and perioperative anxiolysis. 
Key Takeaway: Mastery of pharmacological regimens, state compliance, patient safety monitoring, and emergency readiness.

Learn How To

• Describe the continuum of consciousness.
• Recognize the value and safety of nitrous oxide.
• List the characteristics of the ideal sedative for in-office use.
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of oral conscious sedation versus other modalities.
• Describe the mechanism of action and pharmacological properties of the benzodiazepine family of medications.
• Match the right drug at the right dose to the right patient and the right procedure.

Appropriate Antibiotic Prescribing: The Right Drug for the Right Bug and Appropriate Analgesic Prescribing: Keeping Patients Comfortable

With enough prescription opioids circulating to medicate every American adult for an entire month, dental prescribers carry a profound clinical and ethical responsibility. Effective pain management requires balancing patient comfort with vigilant, evidence-based prescribing practices. Concurrently, rapidly evolving antibiotic options and updated prophylaxis guidelines require clinicians to regularly evaluate their daily therapeutic choices. 

This course offers a critical, evidence-based look at pain management and antibiotic stewardship in the modern dental office. Participants will evaluate modern analgesic strategies to avoid over-reliance on opioids, analyze the efficacy of newer antibiotic agents, and review current guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis. Leave with practical tools to prescribe thoughtfully, safely, and effectively across a wide range of patient scenarios.

Core Focus: Evidence-based prescribing for dental analgesia and antibiotic therapy. 
Key Takeaway: Updated antibiotic prophylaxis protocols, optimized non-opioid pain strategies, and safe prescribing practices.

Learn How To

• Describe the different types of antibiotics available and how to match the right drug to the right bug.
• Know the appropriate approach to patients at risk of SBE and which of your orthopedic patients really require antibiotic prophylaxis.
• Gain clarity on current guidelines and understand some of the recent controversy around antibiotic selection.
• Discuss the pathophysiology of pain as it relates to dentistry.
• Understand the perfect analgesic recipe to keep (almost) all your patients out of pain – first time, every time.
• Learn how to help make all your appointments successful for you, your team and your patients.
• Recognize the non-opioid treatments that are most effective in managing orofacial pain.

Training Methods

Interactive, case-based multimedia presentation tailored for the whole dental team.