Who We Are and What We Do

We are the professional organization for dentists in Snohomish County & South Whidbey Island in Washington State. Organized in 1951, the Society has over 380 members, who are subject to our Peer Review System and Code of Ethics. All of our members are also members of the Washington State Dental Association and the American Dental Association.

The Society has a staffed central office to provide information on current dental issues, act as a liaison to the community, and serve as a support to our member dentists.

We also provide a referral service to the public at no cost. Member dentists are in good standing with the Snohomish County Dental Society, the Washington State Dental Society, and the American Dental Association. In addition, they:

1. Have agreed to go through a peer review process in the event that a patient has a question about the quality of care. Peer review is available to the public at no charge. The Peer Review Committee only mediates cases concerning member dentists.

 2. Have agreed to complete continuing education every year as required for their annual license renewal.

The Snohomish County Dental Society is dedicated to furthering education, mutual support and better communication with the general public and member dentists. It is our goal to provide this web site as a useful tool for dental information.

Contact Us:

Please call, text, or click the "Contact Us" button.  We look forward to hearing from you and welcome your comments, as we strive to serve the dental profession and public.

Snohomish County Dental Society
6204 4th Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107

Phone:  360-419-7444
Email:   Click Here

What’s Up with DEA MATE Requirement?

The controlled substance education requirement for DEA registration is a federal requirement that was enacted in December 2022. It is being called the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Training Requirement

What is the deadline for satisfying this new training requirement?

The deadline for satisfying this new training requirement is the date of a practitioner’s next scheduled DEA registration submission—regardless of whether it is an initial registration or a renewal registration—on or after June 27, 2023.

This one-time training requirement affirmation will not be a part of future registration renewals.

How Do I Fulfill this Requirement?

Practitioners can satisfy this training by engaging in a total of eight hours of training on treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders from the groups listed below.  A few key points related to this training:

1. The training does not have to occur in one session.  It can be cumulative across multiple sessions that equal eight hours of training.

2. Past trainings on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders can count towards a practitioner meeting this requirement.  In other words, if you received a relevant training from one of the groups listed below – prior to the enactment of this new training obligation on December 29, 2022 – that training counts towards the eight-hour requirement.

• ProvidersClinicalSupportSystem (Free; some on-demand some scheduled)

• AMAEdHub (Free; need to create account)

• SUDTraining (Free if don’t need a certificate for education purposes)

• AmericanSociety of Anesthesiology (Free for ASA members)

3. Past DATA-Waived trainings count towards a DEA registrant’s eight-hour training requirement.

4. Trainings can occur in a variety of formats, including classroom settings, seminars at professional society meetings or virtual offerings.

The ADA has provided the following link for more detailed resources.Click Here

Locally, Washington AGD and UW School of Dentistry have classes available.

UW CDE is developing two 4-hour courses with our sedation presenting team, Mark Donaldson, BSP, RPH, PHARMD, FASHP, FACHE and Jason H. Goodchild, DMD. We will present two live webinars, one on Saturday, June 17 and one on Saturday, June 24, 2023, 4 hours each. Both of these webinars will be recorded so they can be made available as an online recorded course that you can access before your DEA license renewal date, but if it turns out your renewal date is June 28, 2023, then we've got you covered. Registration will be opening  soon. Click here to connect with UW Continuing Education. Click here

The Washington AGD and DOCS Education have co-created an 8-hour course that fulfills the new one-time opioid course requirement for DEA registration. Click here Click Here

DEA MATE TRAINING UPDATE

We are learning more about what the DEA will accept to meet the requirements of the MATE (Medication Access and Training Expansion ) training.

To qualify, the coursework must meet three criteria:

• The course must cover some aspect of the safe pharmacological management of dental pain and screening, brief intervention, and referral for appropriate treatment of patients with or at risk of developing opioid and other substance use disorders;
• The course must be conducted through the form of classroom situations, seminars at professional society meetings, electronic communications, or otherwise; and
• The course must be delivered by a designated training provider.

For those who are less than five years out of dental school, the law allows relevant dental school coursework to count toward meeting the requirements. Additionally, past trainings from recognized groups can be used to satisfy the requirement. In other words, if the dentist received a relevant training from one of the designated training providers - prior to the enactment of this new training obligation on December 29, 2022 - that training counts towards the eight-hour requirement. A certificate of completion of training is required. Designated training providers include:

·       American Dental Association

·       American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

·       ADA CERP-recognized providers (i.e., any organization recognized by the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition, or CCEPR)

·       American Society of Addiction Medicine

·       American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry

·       American Medical Association

·       American Osteopathic Association

·       American Psychiatric Association

·       Any organization accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)

·       Any organization accredited by a state medical society accreditor that is recognized by the ACCME or the CCEPR

·       Any organization accredited by the American Osteopathic Association to provide continuing education

·       Any organization approved by the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, the ACCME, or the CCEPR.

Snohomish County Dental Society members, for those of you who took the Annual Seminar class in 2019, featuring Karen Baker, you can use 3 credits from that class since it was co-produced by UW CDE.  We will continue to keep you informed as new information becomes available.

Finally, remember that if you do not intend to apply or renew a DEA registration, this does not pertain to you.