Earn credits by taking free courses
Aetna Dental is pleased to offer you opportunities to earn continuing-education credits without leaving your home or office. We know you are busy, and those continuing-education deadlines can sneak up fast. Aetna Dental wants to help you keep up-to-date on the latest developments in your field.
Columbia University Courses
These courses are based on a review of the current literature by the Division of Community Health at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, sponsored by Aetna. They are available to participating providers at no cost and are accepted by the Academy of General Dentistry for membership maintenance credits. Use Aetna sponsor code 300129.
Use the links below to access the course of your choice.
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Caring for Individuals with Autism in Dental Practice
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Two CE Credits
Autism is far more common than once believed, affecting people of all ages, races, socioeconomic backgrounds, and geographic locations. As a dental provider, you will encounter autistic patients throughout your career. Unfortunately, many autistic individuals still face significant barriers to accessing quality dental care.
The following course will demystify autism and neurodivergence, equip you with essential knowledge of common strengths and challenges faced by autistic individuals in the dental office, and offer practical strategies to deliver compassionate and effective care for every patient your practice.
Caring for Individuals with Autism in Dental Practice
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Tobacco Cessation: Helping Your Patients Quit
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Two CE Credits
As an oral healthcare provider, you will encounter tobacco, e-cigarette, and cannabis use in practice. It will impact both your patients’ oral and overall health and play a role in your treatment planning and care delivery. You are in an ideal position to discuss tobacco use, its oral consequences, and provide cessation services for your patients.
The following course will equip you with essential knowledge on the oral and overall health effects of tobacco and cannabis use, highlight emerging tobacco products like e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, and offer practical strategies for effective and feasible cessation counseling in dental practice.
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Eating Disorders for Oral Healthcare Providers
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Two CE Credits
It is estimated around 10% of Americans will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime. Therefore, as an oral healthcare provider, it is likely you will encounter patients with eating disorders in practice. You are ideally positioned to identify signs and symptoms of eating disorders and may even be the first healthcare professional to do so. Your ability to effectively manage such patients has the potential to have significant impact on their oral health and overall health.
Take this continuing education course to learn how to identify signs and symptoms of eating disorders, communicate effectively with patients about eating and associated behaviors, and understand appropriate next steps to connect them to further care.
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Nutrition and Dentistry
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One CE Credit
June Levine and Dr. Christie Custodio-Lumsden are both Registered Dietitians engaged in research, education and clinical service at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. In this webinar they are excited to share the multitude of ways in which the fields of nutrition and dentistry align and how integration and collaboration between the two fields are essential to advancing oral health for all.
Course Goals/Objectives:
- Identify nutrition risk factors related to oral and systemic health throughout the lifespan.
- Understand the role of current dietary guidelines in informing nutrition counseling for patients.
- Describe the interrelated and synergistic nature of nutrition and oral health.
- Recognize when referral for in-depth nutrition assessment and counseling is indicated in patient care.
- Understand the referral process to Registered dietitians to promote continuity of care and interprofessional practice.
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Webinar-Teledentistry: A 'New' Way of Communicating with Patients.
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One CE Credit
This course provides an overview of teledentistry for clinical practice.
CME Outfitter Courses
The following CME Outfitters CME/CE activities are available for free to learners. Each link will include additional information for the activities and the option to participate. Each learner will need to register for a free CME Outfitters user account to participate in the activities, complete evaluations, and receive credit.
When creating your CME Outfitters user profile to participate, please enter “Aetna” as part of the Company/Organization field.
Digital Badging
CME Outfitters offers free digital badge credentials for education in Diversity & Inclusion. Learn more about this digital credential, its earning criteria, and skills here.
Use the links below to access the course of your choice.
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Proceedings of the Forum: Addressing Unconscious Bias and Disparities in Health Care: A Call to Action
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Format: CME Outfitters Monograph
Credit Types: ACCME, ANCC, ACPE, AAPA, ADA CERP, ABIM MOC, ABP MOC
Credit Hours: 1.0 hour
Credit Expiration: December 31, 2025
Description: This CMEO monograph focuses on historical and present-day sources of health care disparities as discussed in a trail-blazing, two-day, round-table seminar. The discussion included the effects that disparate health and health care have on vulnerable minority populations, and specific strategies to mitigate structural and interpersonal racism to counter these disparities and promote best practices for equitable patient treatment and outcomes.
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Closing the Gap: Disparities in Oral Health and Access to Dental Care
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Format: CME Outfitters Podcast
Credit Types: ACCME, ANCC, ACPE, AAPA, ADA CERP, ABIM MOC
Credit Hours: 0.75 hours
Credit Expiration: September 30, 2024
Description: This CMEOCast podcast focuses on the systemic and social determinants that contribute to oral health disparities, particularly the factors that contribute to dental health disparities in patients of color. The activity provides action steps for medical and dental HCPs to help mitigate inequities in oral health and the consequences of poor dental care.
Closing the Gap: Disparities in Oral Health and Access to Dental Care
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Promoting Equitable Oral Health in Patients of Color
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Format: CME Outfitters BriefCase
Credit Types: ACCME, ANCC, ACPE, AAPA, ADA CERP, ABIM MOC
Credit Hours: 0.75 hours
Credit Expiration: December 31, 2024
Description: This CMEO BriefCase activity focuses on patient cases that illustrate disparities in oral health and practical steps dental health professionals can take to mitigate these in their own practice to eliminate barriers to equitable dental and oral health care in patients of color.
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Equity and Health Care Disparities: The Role of Leaders in Addressing the Crisis
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Format: CME Outfitters Podcast
Credit Types: ACCME, ANCC, ACPE, AAPA, ABIM MOC
Credit Hours: 0.5 hours
Credit Expiration: December 28, 2024
Description: This CMEOCast podcast focuses on the role of health systems in addressing structural racism and clinician/staff biases and how health systems administrators can integrate best practices to support patients and reduce disparities in care.
Equity and Health Care Disparities: The Role of Leaders in Addressing the Crisis
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On Target with Pain Management: Leveraging Change for Positive Outcomes
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Format: Adaptive OnDemand (REMS)
Credit Types: ACCME, ANCC, ACPE, AAPA, ABIM MOC
Credit Hours: 1.0 hour
Credit Expiration: March 14, 2023
Description: This REMS Adaptive OnDemand experience focuses on the underlying mechanisms of pain and strategies for optimizing safe and competent prescribing in addition to tools for how to best identify risk factors of opioid use disorder. The activity will provide learners with strategies to engage patients in education about their own pain.
On Target with Pain Management: Leveraging Change for Positive Outcomes
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Patient Education to Manage Expectations About Pain and Pain Management
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Format: CMEOCast podcast
Credit Types: ACCME, ANCC, ACPE, AAPA, ABIM MOC
Credit Hours: 0.25 hours
Credit Expiration: December 31, 2023
Description: This podcast focuses on making informative treatment decisions for pain management in order to change habits and improve outcomes. Part of that process is to educate patients in order to manage their expectations, and the podcast features expert faculty discussing strategies on how to best assess patients for misuse and communicate necessary information with patients.
Patient Education to Manage Expectations About Pain and Pain Management
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Talking Safety and NSAIDs
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Format: CMEOCast podcast
Credit Types: ACCME, ANCC, ACPE, AAPA, ABIM MOC
Credit Hours: 0.25 hours
Credit Expiration: December 31, 2023
Description: This podcast focuses on NSAID myths and precautions to take when prescribing NSAIDs for acute and chronic pain.
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What Should They Expect? Making Time to Talk to Patients About Pain Before Their Dental Procedure
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One Half CE Credit
In the third installment of this CME Outfitters BriefCase series on non-opioid pain management, expert faculty share strategies for educating patients and managing their expectations, setting clear goals, as well as best practices for patient engagement. Further discussion illustrates the importance of post-operative follow-up and practical information on safe storage and disposal of unused medication. By engaging patients in an open discussion, clinicians effectively partner with their patients and the community as a whole to be a resource for health and wellness.
Learning Objective:
Educate patients about their pain and non-opioid pain management to optimize safe and effective, multimodal treatment plans.
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Rethinking Standing Orders for Opioids to Manage Pain in Adolescents and Young Adults Requiring Third Molar Extraction
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One Half CE Credit
The first installment of this CME Outfitters BriefCase series on non-opioid pain management focuses on how to choose safe and effective pain management strategies for dental postsurgical pain by aligning pain management practices to evidence-based recommendations for a rational, multimodal approach to analgesia.
Learning Objective:
Apply evidence and guideline recommendations supporting non-opioid pain management to treatment decision-making.
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Shifting Perspectives on Pain Management in Oral Surgery
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One Half CE Credit
In this free CME Snack, Dr. Gold and Dr. Abubaker share insights on alternative pain management strategies for oral pain with a focus on finding a balance between compassion for patient care and patient safety.
Learning Objectives:
1. Recognize the importance of minimizing opioid use in the management of dental pain.
2. Educate patients about their pain to optimize safe and effective, multimodal treatment plans. -
Getting a Head Start on Pain: Simple Changes to Your Pre-Procedure Workflow for Assessing Misuse and Diversion of Opioids
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One Half CE Credit
Risk assessment tools such as the Opioid Risk Tool can be used as a complement to medical history, while checking the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) can determine whether a patient has had any aberrant prescription behaviors. In this second installment of this CME Outfitters BriefCase series, expert faculty focus on when to use validated tools to assess patients for risk of misuse and diversion of opioids as well as strategies for engaging patients in the management of their pain.
Learning Objective:
Assess patients for risk of misuse and diversion of opioids using a validated tool.
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