In December 2022, the U.S. Congress passed an omnibus spending bill that included the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act. This new law requires prescribers of controlled substances, including dentists, to complete eight hours of one-time training on safely prescribing controlled substances (Schedules II, III, IV, and/or V) in order to receive or renew their registration with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

It’s likely that dentists received an email from the DEA notifying them of this new requirement, which goes into effect on June 27, 2023.

To help dentists comply, the ADA has created a Frequently Asked Questions document addressing common questions they have heard from members, including:

• Does this new federal training requirement affect me?
• What am I required to do?
• How much time do I have to satisfy the new training requirement?
• Do I need to maintain records showing I have completed the training?
• How will I know what courses will satisfy the requirement?
• Will training hours completed prior to the law’s passage count toward the new requirement?
• Will I have to complete the 8 hours of federally required CE on a cyclical basis?
• Will CE credits that are accepted for state licensure count toward the new federal requirement?
• Can my state impose additional CE requirements?
• Am I required to complete training on topics that are outside of my scope of practice?
• Do I have to use a specific CE provider? Will ADA CERP credits count?
• Does the ADA offer CE on safe controlled substance prescribing?

Read the FAQ
The ADA will update the FAQ regularly to answer new questions and share additional information. Currently, ADA is working to address questions about how the DEA will enforce the requirement, how the rule will affect prescribers with multiple DEA registrations, and other topics.  
 
If you have further questions, the ADA’s Member Service Center is here to help. Contact the MSC via e-mail at msc@ada.org or call 312-440-2500. Staff are available Monday through Friday from 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM Pacific Time.

For more information, visit the DEA Diversion Control Division’s website at deadiversion.usdoj.gov. Additional information may be found at ADA.org.