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State updates strategy to help dentists combat opioid misuse

An updated North Carolina Dental Opioid Action Plan was released this week by the state Department of Health and Human Services.

The document is the result of a collaborative effort between public health officials, dental specialists, and a variety of state and local partners.

NCDHHS Deputy Secretary Mark Benton released a statement noting that many people first encounter opioids when they are prescribed as pain relief following common procedures such as wisdom tooth removal.

Benton says the plan provides dentists with “actionable steps” to lessen the impact of opioid misuse.

Those steps include emphasizing safer pain management, raising public awareness of preventative measures, and expanding access to treatment and recovery options.

Officials say opioids should only be prescribed for a short period of time, and that leftover pills should be turned in to drug takeback programs, and not shared with family and friends.

The state’s Dental Opioid Action Plan is designed to align with its overall strategic plan addressing opioid and substance abuse.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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