Chabot College Fall 2001 Course Outline for Dental Hygiene 54 PHARMACOLOGY Catalog Description: 54 - Pharmacology 2 units Sources, dosages, therapeutic action, and side effects of drugs used in dentistry and dental hygiene. Includes legal and ethical aspects of drug usage. Corequisite: Dental Hygiene 57. 2 hours Prerequisite Skills: None Corequisite Skills: Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to: 1. assess a patient's medical and dental history and devise a sequential treatment plan so the patient is treated completely and efficiently; 2. assess patients' medical history to determine their suitability to receive local anesthesia and determine what precautions if any should be taken prior to administering local anesthetic; 3. discuss methods of anxiety control and articulate methods of introduction of local anesthetic and nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesia; 4. identify the advantages and disadvantages of administering local anesthesia and nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesia in the practice of dental hygiene; 5. identify the indications and contraindications to administering local anesthesia and nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesia; 6. identify the complications which may result from the administration of anesthetic agents and the proper management or emergency procedures to use in response to these complications; 7. calculate the maximum safe dosage of local anesthetic for any given patient; 8. identify the armamentarium required for administration of local anesthetic; 9. identify which nerve, teeth, and soft tissue structures are anesthetized for each of the intraoral injections; 10. successfully administer local anesthesia following procedural guidelines; 11. identify the advantages and disadvantages of using nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesia in the practice of dental hygiene; 12. describe the signs and symptoms of nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesia; 13. identify the components, safety features and recommended maintenance of the nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesia; 14. describe and demonstrate the procedures for administering nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesia; 15. successfully administer nitrous oxide/oxygen following procedural guidelines; 16. identify the goals and rationale for soft tissue curettage procedures; 17. assess patients' medical history to determine their suitability to have soft tissue curettage procedures and determine what precautions if any should be taken prior to performing soft tissue curettage; 18. identify the armamentarium required for soft tissue curettage procedures; 19. describe the stages of the healing process and explain any possible interferences; 20. document dental hygiene expanded functions according to course guidelines; 21. identify safety measures to prevent occupational exposure during the administration of nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesia and local anesthesia. Expected Outcomes for Students: Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to: 1. list and compare four drug information reference sources; 2. differentiate between chemical names, generic names, and trade names of drugs; 3. define the terms pharmacotherapeutics, pharmacodynamics, and toxicology; 4. differentiate between the terms potency vs. efficacy; ED vs. LD; onset of action vs. duration of action; Chabot College Course Outline for Dental Hygiene 54, Page 2 Fall 2001 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. list and describe (including advantages and disadvantages) the eight major routes of administration of drugs; describe the major distribution areas and routes of drugs in the body, including the factors affecting this distribution; define the terms; summation, additive effects, synergism, and potentiation; list and describe the three types of drug antagonism; list and describe the six types of untoward effects of drugs; identify and describe the five parts of prescription writing; translate 20 commonly-used Latin abbreviations used in prescription writing; identify drugs (and drug products) actively prescribed and/or employed in dental and dental hygiene practice. The student will be able to: a. describe their pharmacologic and therapeutic effects including mechanism of action and adverse effects; b. describe their administration and distribution in the body; c. list and describe their main clinical uses and side-effects, including dosage ranges and precautions for use; d. classify and list commonly-used preparations (of the drugs) including generic names and trade names; e. compare and contrast the use and efficacy of similar drugs within a pharmacologic class including their advantages and disadvantages, in clinical use; Concerning drugs (and drug products) not normally utilized in dental and dental hygiene practice but capable of presenting a potential dental practice problem when prescribed medically, the student will be able to describe how these drugs modify a patient's functions and how these modifications require proper handling of the patient in clinical practice. Specifically, the student will be able to: a. describe the pharmacological action and generic therapeutic use of these drugs with special emphasis on those self-effects and adverse reactions that affect clinical practice; b. describe the major interactions of these drugs and procedures employed and prescribed in clinical practice; c. list and describe clinical precautions to be employed when these drugs are being used medically by the patient. Note: The drugs referred to in #12 and #13, above, belong to the classes described below in course content. Course Content: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. General principles of pharmacology; untoward reactions Drugs affecting the autonomic nervous system-4 major types Psychotherapeutic agents, anti-psychotic and anti-depressants Sedative-hypnotic agents Anticonvulsant and CNS stimulants Analgesics-narcotic and non-narcotic General anesthetics Parenteral sedation and nitrous oxide analgesia Local anesthetics Antihistamines Adrenocorticosteroids Drugs affecting the cardiovascular system, including coagulants and anticoagulants Antibacterial agents (sulfonamides and antibiotics) Fluorides Prescription-writing Chabot College Course Outline for Dental Hygiene 54, Page 3 Fall 2001 Methods of Presentation: 1. 2. 3. Lecture Discussion Audiovisual aids a. charts b. chalkboard c. handouts Assignments & Methods of Evaluating Student Progress: 1. 2. Typical Assignments a. Utilize current drug guide to define the mode of action, dosage, indications/contraindications and dental considerations for a commonly-prescribed drug b. Self-directed research on an assigned topic Methods of Evaluating Student Progress a. Quizzes b. Midterm examination c. Final examination Textbook(s)(Typical): Applied Pharmacology for the Dental Hygienist, Requa-Clark, B., C.V. Mosby, 2000 Special Student Materials: None tms, Disk 20, A:\DH Outlines 2000\DH 54 Revised; 12-1-00