Course Outline
1. Analgesics
- Pain Control
- Analgesic Agents
- Nonopioid Analgesics
- Aspirin and Related Salicylates
- Aspirin in dentistry
- Adverse effects
- Acetaminophen
- Analgesic Alternatives to Aspirin and Acetaminophen
- Adverse effects
- Opioid Analgesics
- Morphine
- Tolerance and dependence
- Codeine
- Principles of Opioid Analgesic Use
- Adverse Reactions of Opioids
- Combinations of Peripherally Acting Analgesics and Opioids
2. Anti-anxiety Drugs
- Benzodiazepines
- Pharmacologic effects
- Adverse reactions
3. Autonomic Nervous System Drugs
- Cholinergic Agents
- Anticholinergic Agents
- Neuromuscular Blocking Drugs
- Adrenergic Drugs
- Adverse effects
- Adrenergic Blocking Drugs
4. Local Anesthetics
- Anesthetics in Surface Applications
- Benzocaine
- Tetracaine hydrochloride
5. Recentry-Approved Dental Drugs
6. References
7. Post-Test
Learning Objectives
After completing this course, you’ll be able to:
- Define pain and provide an understanding of pain management.
- State and dispel three misconceptions about pain.
- List four factors that lower the patient’s pain threshold and two that raise it.
- Compare and contrast the nonopioid and opioid analgesics with respect to the following:
- Site of action
- Mechanism of action
- Efficacy
- Addiction and tolerance
- Toxicity
- List 3 categories of nonopioid analgesics and various drugs within each category.
- State and describe three major effects and four other effects of aspirin.
- Name the therapeutic uses of aspirin.
- Distinguish between psychologic dependence, physical dependence, tolerance and pseudoaddiction.
- Illustrate the stepwise approach for the management of pain as recommended by the World Health Organization.
- Outline the principles of proper analgesic use.
- Discuss 5 adverse reactions of opioids.
- Explain the function of the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
- Describe the action of vasoconstrictors.
- List the duration time of local anesthesia when combined with various concentrations of epinephrine.
- Describe the precautions that a dentist should take with patients taking adrenergic blocking agents.
- Describe the pharmacologic effects of benzodiazepines.
- List at least 9 adverse side effects of benzodiazepines.
- Identify 4 categories of anti-anxiety agents and various drugs with their nonproprietary and proprietary names within each category.
- Describe 3 advantages of vasoconstrictors added to local anesthetic solutions.
- List 3 adverse reactions of local anesthetic agents and 3 precautions to take to avoid them.
- List 4 new dental drugs approved by the FDA and describe their application in dentistry.