title: How to prescribe, store, order and dispose of controlled drugs.
abstract: The Shipman Inquiry has lead to a number of changes in the regulations that govern controlled drugs. Some of these changes, in particular the change in schedule of midazolam from Schedule 4 to Schedule 3 and the introduction of private controlled drug prescriptions, which are now mandatory for all private prescribers, have implications for dentists. This paper aims to outline the current regulations governing controlled drugs that are relevant to dentists and covers how to obtain, prescribe, store and dispose of them.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Controlled drugs are the most highly regulated medicines and recent changes in the regulations governing them have implications for dentists in both private and NHS practice.
authors.affiliation: North West Regional Medicines, Information Centre, 70 Pembroke Place, Liverpool L69 3GF, UK.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Randall
mesh_terms: D018057:Dental Waste; D003815:Dentists / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004339:Drug Compounding; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D004356:Drug Storage; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods; D005568:Forms and Records Control; D006801:Humans; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000145:classification; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D013218:State Dentistry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D018057:Dental Waste; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations