In 2023, the President signed the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. This legislation established a new requirement that prescribers of certain controlled substances complete a one-time, eight-hour training before registering or renewing their registration with the Drug Enforcement Administration. The required provider training must be provided by organizations listed in the legislation or organizations deemed eligible by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an authority which the agency has not exercised. The MATE Act did not include the AGD as an approved provider of this mandated continuing education. The AGD has advocated tirelessly to remedy this situation. On March 11, 2025, Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the MATE Improvement Act (S. 946), which would include the AGD as an approved provider of this training. 

Impact on General Dentistry: The AGD recognizes that the opioid epidemic continues to plague communities across the U.S. Studies have found that while opioid prescribing by dentists is decreasing, dentists still prescribe approximately 8.6 percent of all opioids. The AGD will continue to educate general dentists on opioid addiction, safe opioid prescribing practices, and alternative pain management treatment options.