Newsletter
NEW YORK, USA: A new study has found that dental professionals hold a key role in protecting patients' well-being as pharmaceutical consumption increases and innovation in dental technology and devices flourishes. The study recommends that dentists report adverse drug and device reactions in the oral cavity of their patients promptly to improve the quality of dental care.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 50 percent of U.S. citizens used at least one prescribed medication in the preceding month. Nearly 11 percent used five or more prescription drugs. However, the manifestation of adverse effects of such medications in the oral cavity is not well documented to date.
Reviewing the current data available on the most commonly prescribed medications, the authors of the study found that pharyngitis was the most common adverse effect. Cough, dysgeusia and dysphagia were commonly reported.
The authors observed that MedWatch, the Food and Drug Administration's safety surveillance system for drugs and devices, and its related databases contain useful information about adverse effects of pharmaceuticals and devices observed in the oral cavity. "Increased participation in the reporting of suspected adverse reactions will improve the national surveillance system and ultimately will protect patients' safety," they concluded.
The study, titled "Adverse Drug and Device Reactions in the Oral Cavity: Surveillance and Reporting," was published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association. It was conducted by researchers at Columbia University in the City of New York and Tufts University in Boston.
