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SWEET DREAMS DENTAL ANESTHESIA
PUBLICATIONS
SMILES UNITED
Oral Hygiene Instruction - Video Training Modules
July 2021 - Current
TCDM RECEIVES GRANT FROM NYS DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES PLANNING COUNCIL
October 16, 2020
The project, titled “Smiles United”, was spearheaded by Raquel Rozdolski, D.M.D., a dentist anesthesiologist and Clinical Assistant Professor of Dental Medicine at TCDM, along with colleague Susan DiSenso-Browne, D.D.S., Assistant Professor of Dental Medicine and Course Director of Oral Health Care for Patients with Special Needs. Under their guidance, the Smiles United Project will bring together a group of dental students who will connect with group homes and agencies across New York State and beyond by scheduling virtual small-group sessions with the homes, their patients and their caregivers. In building these connections, the Smiles United team will work to identify the barriers to treatment that patients with IDD are currently experiencing and then develop and test strategies that can be implemented by dental providers.
“This virtual approach will allow one-on-one relationships to be built directly between the providers and their patients, while patients are in the comfort of their own space and setting before their initial in-person appointments,“ said Dr. Rozdolski who is also an active member of the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities NYS Taskforce on Special Needs Dentistry and Course Director of the Pain and Anxiety Management at TCDM. “These forged relationships will aim to reduce some of the patients’ anxieties and fears when they physically come in for treatment and will allow treatment to begin sooner.”
RECOMMENDATION FOR CO-PRESCRIPTION OF OPIOIDS AND NALOXONE IN THE DENTAL OFFICE
Raquel Rozdolski, DMD, Madeleine Maas
ADSA Pulse - Vol. 52 No. 3 2020
In the past, opioid analgesics were prescribed frequently as the first line of pain management after dental procedures and though non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have risen to the top, opioids are still commonly prescribed. Historically, opioid analgesics, while an important tool in pain management, are associated with high rates of abuse, misuse, and addiction. In the United States, drug overdose deaths continue to rise and this trend is largely driven by prescription opioid analgesics. In fact, 5 to 23 percent of all prescription opioid doses dispensed are used for non-medical purposes. Though primary care physicians prescribe the bulk of opioids, certain specialties, such as dentistry, prescribe opioids at a higher rate. All prescribers have a responsibility to minimize the potential for drug abuse, misuse, addiction, and overdose while still prescribing necessary opioids for patients in need of such opioid analgesia. Some physicians have already begun co-prescribing naloxone along with opioids to minimize that risk. However, this practice is not currently common within the dental profession. Providing overdose prevention in the form of naloxone and opioid overdose response education, including assessment and stimulation of the victim, administration of naloxone, basic life support and aftercare, to drug users, their friends, and family can save lives. It is the dental provider’s responsibility to respond to this call and stay informed on alternative forms of pain management and to know when and how to prescribe opioids safely to their patients. This paper will list and discuss several factors that relate to the decision concerning prescription of opioids and the co-prescription of naloxone. It will also attempt to provide a guideline for such prescriptions.
DENTIST ANESTHESIOLOGISTS RECEIVE RECOGNITION
Raquel Rozdolski, DMD
April 10, 2019
On March 11, 2019, the National Commission on the Recognition of Dental Specialities and Certifying Boards (NCRDSCB) granted dentist anesthesiologists the recognition we have always deserved. However, for me, this title comes secondary to the importance of the awareness this will bring to patients regarding their safety and to dentists who have been left in the dark regarding the extensive training we pursue to provide safe anesthesia care.
First and foremost, patients should be made aware of the significant differences in expertise and skill levels when comparing a residency-trained dentist anesthesiologist and a dentist with far less training who provides limited anesthesia services.
WHAT PARENTS SHOULD KNOW BEFORE THEIR CHILD IS SEDATED AT A DENTIST’S OFFICE
Dr. Rozdolski & Lohud Interview
February 17, 2020
If your child needs extensive dental work, their pediatric dentist may recommend that they undergo sedation. Sedation is a safe way for dentists to complete any required procedures effectively, but it’s also important for parents to fully understand the process. That way, parents can properly prepare themselves and the child and advocate on their behalf.
To educate yourself about what to expect and to ensure your child’s dentist is following industry best practices, here are the questions you should ask beforehand.
Dr. Rozdolski & LoHud Interview
September 21, 2022
HAWTHORNE - Alanna O'Shea needed a lot of dental work, maybe even root canal. A dentist said the 20-year-old who attends a special education program at Ardsley High School would need to be under anesthesia in a hospital operating room to get the work done.
That's an all-too-common, highly invasive practice for treating people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who may be averse to even the most basic dental procedures.
Then her mom, Elaine O'Shea, brought Alanna to Touro College's dental clinic for an anesthesia consult.
Dr. Raquel Rozdolski, a dentist-anesthesiologist, had other ideas.
Rozdolski, who is course director for pain and anxiety control at Touro College of Dental Medicine, believed Alanna could get through all the dental care she needed without going into an operating room and having to go under anesthesia.