The Special Considerations of Pain Management and Opioid Use in Older Adults

Presenter(s): Mehran Mehrabi, DMD, MD

Note: Once the live event has passed, please allow two weeks for the recording and slide presentations to be posted.

Target Audience: This activity is designed for for Dentists, Administrative Staff, Physicians, Social Workers, Students and Educators, and Interprofessional Teams. This activity is accredited for dentists.

Credit Designations Available: 1 CE

Webinar Description: Many older people have a variety of systemic diseases that have an impact on their oral health care. Analgesic medications may be part of a patient’s comprehensive treatment plan for relieving pain.

Pain management in older, medically complex patients requires special considerations. As physiologic, cognitive, and social factors change, so does the approach to patient centered management of oral healthcare. Dentists prescribing opioids for pain management has evolved but increased awareness to identify misuse, specifically by older adults is needed.

Educational Objectives:

• Describe special considerations for treating older adults, assessing their pain and interpreting their health status.
• Review risk factors for opioid toxicity in older adults.
• Review opioid misuse in older adult population.