Description:
Updated in 2018!
Introduce evidence-based information that will help with the selection of the
most appropriate analgesic for the management of pain in the postoperative
period.
Learning
Objectives:
- Discuss the basic mechanisms of acute pain
- Discuss the pharmacology of analgesics
- Discuss factors to be considered in the selection of analgesics
- Discuss potential adverse drug events associated with the use of
analgesics
Abstract:
The most common complaint causing a person to seek the services of an oral
health care provider is pain. Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional
experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. Proper management
of pain requires an understand¬ing of its complexity, an appreciation for the
factors that determine its expression in the clinical setting, the
implementation of disease-modifying procedures (primary dental care) and sound
pharmacological strategies (analgesia) in the postoperative period.
Outline:
- Introduction
- Physiology of pain
- Activation of acute pain pathways
- Intrinsic modulation of nociception
- Role of the higher CNS in pain
- Pharmacology of analgesics
- Therapeutic considerations
- NSAIDs
- Acetaminophen
- Opioid agonists
- Adverse drug events
- Conclusion
