American Dental Association
Posted by Sparrow on July 20th, 2008
Substance Use Disorders American Dental Association.
Research tells us that dentists are no more-or less-likely to develop substance use disorders (alcohol or drug abuse or dependence) than the general population. In other words, 10-15 percent of dentists will have a drug and/or alcohol problem sometime in their lives.
Substance use disorders are part of the human condition, and touch as many as one in four American families.
What IS different for dentists and other health professionals than for the general population is the public trust that goes with the privilege to practice, and the responsibility to obey the state dental practice acts and controlled substance regulations.
An untreated substance use disorder in a dentist can not only threaten the dentist’s life and family stability, but place patients, and the practice itself, in jeopardy.
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