CDE1913 - Local Anesthesia for Dentists & Dental Hygienists: Update and Clinical Integration
Course Description
This three-hour continuing education program provides Pennsylvania dentists and dental hygienists with an evidence-based update on the safe and effective administration of local anesthesia within the scope of practice. The course reviews current pharmacology of commonly used local anesthetic agents and vasoconstrictors, dosage calculations, maximum recommended doses, and patient assessment considerations including medical history review, risk stratification, and contraindications. Emphasis is placed on clinical decision-making that enhances patient safety, comfort, and procedural efficiency in contemporary dental hygiene practice. Participants will also review injection techniques, anatomical landmarks, complication prevention and management, and documentation standards that support regulatory compliance and risk management. Special topics include management of medically complex patients, recognition and response to local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST), medical emergencies related to anesthesia, and strategies for reducing patient anxiety and improving anesthetic success rates. The course is designed to satisfy Pennsylvania’s three-hour continuing education requirement for dentists and dental hygienists authorized to administer local anesthesia.
Learner Outcomes
Upon course completion, the participant will:
- Review the pharmacology, indications, contraindications, and maximum dosage calculations of commonly used local anesthetic agents and vasoconstrictors.
- Assess patient medical histories and risk factors to determine the safe use of local anesthesia in routine and medically complex patients.
- Identify key anatomical landmarks and describe evidence-based injection techniques that improve anesthetic success and reduce complications.
- Recognize, prevent, and outline appropriate management of local anesthesia–related complications, including local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) and other soft- and hard-tissue adverse events.
- Apply appropriate documentation practices, informed consent procedures, and regulatory standards to maintain compliance with Pennsylvania dental practice requirements and risk-management principles.
Notes
Presenter
Dr. Marc Gottlieb
Dr. Gottlieb was born and raised on Long Island, attended Union College in Schenectady New York and then shuffled off to Buffalo for Dental School. While at the University of Buffalo he received many academic scholarships, awards and fellowships. After graduation from dental school Dr. Gottlieb went on to a two year post-graduate residency program at Long Island Jewish Medical Center This unique opportunity provided advanced training in anesthesiology and all the specialties of dentistry. Dr. Gottlieb is currently on staff at Stony Brook University Hospital, maintains a full time private practice, lectures all over the country and has authored over a dozen dental articles. For the last six years he has made Dentistry Today’s list of top CE providers.