Pharmacology and Therapeutics

The course will discuss past, current, and possible future policies that deal with tobacco. The course will also inform participants about the use of pharmacotherapy as it applies to tobacco cessation and information about training opportunities for dental health professionals who wish to learn more about tobacco cessation pharmacotherapy.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review past, current, and future directions of tobacco policy
2. Explore current “OTC” nicotine delivery systems
3. Compare OTC and Rx pharmacotherapies used with tobacco cessation including indication, utilization, and any precautions

Updated in 2018

Introduce evidence-based information that will help with the selection of the most appropriate local anesthetic agent for the management of pain in the perioperative period.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this course the practitioner should be able to:

1. Discuss the basic mechanisms of acute pain
2. Discuss the pharmacology of  local anesthetic agents
3. Discuss factors to be considered in the selection of a local anesthetic agent
4. Discuss potential adverse drug events associated with the use of local anesthetic agents
   

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, sound pharmacological strategies (local anesthesia) during the perioperative period, and implementation of  disease-modifying procedures (primary dental care).

Outline:

1. Introduction
2. Physiology of pain
   1. Activation of acute pain pathways
   2. Intrinsic modulation of nociception
   3. Role of the higher CNS in pain
3. Pharmacology of local anesthetic agents
4. Therapeutic considerations
   1. Topical anesthetic agents
   2. Lidocaine hydrochloride
   3. Mepivacaine hydrochloride
   4. Prilocaine hydrochloride
   5. Articaine hydrochloride
   6. Bupivacaine hydrochloride
5. Adverse drug events
6. Conclusion

Updated in 2018!

Introduce evidence-based knowledge essential for risk stratification of patients and for the developing oral healthcare strategies commensurate with the patients’ functional capacity.

Upon completion of this course the practitioner should be able to:

1. Discuss the role of physical evaluation in risk assessment
2. Discuss the concept of functional capacity and how to assess it in a clinical setting
3. Discuss disease-related, treatment-related, and procedure-related variables

Abstract:

Our primary obligation and ultimate reasonability is the timely delivery of quality diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic services, within the bounds of the clinical circumstances presented by patients. Consequently, we must possess knowledge and skills essential to determine the functional state of patients to undergo and respond to dental care. Diagnostic activities should be validated and focused  not only on identifying those problems that one cannot afford to miss but also to identify those patients with an increased likelihood of developing a disease and those who may experience an increase in disease severity or a medical emergency in the perioperative period.

Course Outline:

1. Introduction: Never Treat a Stranger
   1. Physical Evaluation
   2. Functional Capacity
2. Hidden Risk Factors
   1. Disease-specific Risk Factors
   2. Treatment-specific Risk Factors
   3. Procedure-specific Risk Factors
3. Conclusion

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.

Updated in 2018!

Introduce evidence-based information that will help with the selection of the most appropriate antibacterial agent for the management of an odontogenic infection.