Edward Ruvins, DDS, MS, MBA, MSF, MSAC, is a founder of Spectrum Dental Group, Lighthouse Recovery, and Optimum Consulting Group and the co-founder of Genesis Behavioral Health. He is a certified valuation analyst and certified fraud examiner. Ruvins can be reached at eruvins@yahoo.com.
Understanding the oral health implications of substance use and abuse is crucial for dentists to provide comprehensive care and support for affected patients.
Dentists can integrate evidence-based screening tools to detect substance use disorders, fostering communication and offering referrals to addiction treatment specialists
This review presents data from the literature focusing on opioids’ action on the central and peripheral nervous systems and subsequent influence on local anesthetics.