Registering with the DEA and Prescribing Controlled Substances

Any dentist who prescribes controlled substances in Schedules II, III, IV, or V must register with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) every three years. At the time this content was developed (2016), the cost of a three-year DEA registration was $731.

DEA regulations cover:

• prescribing a controlled substance to be filled at a pharmacy
• giving a patient a controlled substance to take later
• giving a patient a controlled substance in the office, to swallow or through injection

• why dentists register with the DEA
• whether dentists can opt to only write prescriptions for drugs that don’t require a DEA number and refer patients needing prescriptions for controlled substances to another healthcare provider
• how the DEA determines the cost to register
• how the agency spends the monies collected via registration fees
• whom to contact with questions about the DEA registration fees
• tips for writing prescriptions • how e-prescribing protects your patients – and you
• recommendations on storing and maintaining proper inventory controls

Complete information is available in the DEA Practitioner’s Manual: An Informational Outline of the Controlled Substances Act.

Resources:

• ADA FAQ on Registering with the DEA [PDF]
• ADA Do’s and Don’ts for Prescribing Controlled Substances [PDF]
• ADA Tip Sheet for e-Prescribing Controlled Substances [PDF]
• ADA Tip Sheet on the Safety and Inventory Control of Controlled Substances [PDF]
• ADA FAQ on New HCP Regulations [PDF]
• ADA FAQ on New HCP Regulations, Part 2 [PDF]
• ADA Tip Sheet on Disposing of Controlled Substances [PDF]
• DEA Diversion Control Division website
• DEA Office of Diversion Control Registration Information
• DEA Theft or Loss of Controlled Substances - DEA Form 106
• DEA Inventory Requirements For Dispensing Practices
• DEA Form 222 (DEA Forms & Applications)
• DEA Form 41 (Registrant Record of Controlled Substances Destroyed)
• DEA Final Rule on the Disposal of Controlled Substances [PDF]
• SCDI White Paper No. 1070-2016 ADA Electronic Pharmaceutical Prescription Standard for Dentistry [ADA Store]
• CMS Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program
• CDC Tamper-Resistant Prescription Form Requirements [PDF]
• EPA Proposed Rule on Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals