DEA MATE Act training: the one-time 8 hours every prescribing dentist owes

What it says#

The Medication Access and Training Expansion Act, passed as Section 1263 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, added a training condition to DEA registration. Beginning June 27, 2023, any practitioner submitting a new registration or a renewal has to affirm that they have completed at least eight hours of training on treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders.

The DEA describes it as a one-time attestation. You check a box on the online registration form the first time you register or renew after the effective date, and the requirement does not repeat at later renewals.

The training can be classroom, a seminar at a professional meeting, or a virtual course, and it does not have to be a single eight-hour block. Past training counts: if you completed qualifying courses before the law took effect, including the old buprenorphine waiver training, those hours apply.

Who it applies to#

All DEA-registered practitioners except those who are solely veterinarians. That means dentists, physicians, physician assistants and advanced practice nurses. A dentist who does not hold a DEA registration has nothing to attest, but the moment they apply for one the requirement applies.

Courses count when they come from the groups the law names. The DEA's list includes the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association, the American Dental Association, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, the American Psychiatric Association, the nursing and physician-assistant bodies, any provider accredited by ACCME or CCEPR, and anything approved or accredited by the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use.

What changed#

Before 2023 there was no federal training condition attached to a dental DEA registration. The same law that added this requirement also removed the separate buprenorphine "X-waiver," which most dentists never held, so for dentistry the practical change is the eight hours and the checkbox.

Where the source is#

The DEA Diversion Control Division's MATE Act FAQ is the plain-English version of the requirement and is where the list of qualifying providers lives. The law itself is Section 1263 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. The link opens the DEA page.