New Drugs, Herbs and Supplements in Dentistry

This course will review the pharmacology and clinical implications for several new drug products of interest to dentistry, including chlorhexidine WITHOUT alcohol, products for reduction of hypersensitivity and OVC products with antigingivitis or antiviral claims, as well as products for management of oral problems.  A new bisphosphonate product is included and a possible adverse drug effect affecting the oral cavity is discussed.  Products for oral use containing herbs and supplements, both on the market and experimental products not on the market, will be discussed with emphasis on evidence-based clinical studies supporting their use.  Precautions related to providing oral healthcare when herbs are reported on the medical history will be discussed.   A new Dental Drug Reference with Clinical Implications for dental professionals contains an appendix identifying oral effects and relevance to dentistry.

Objectives:

1. Review the newest drug products introduced for dental use.
2. Consider the evidence supporting the use of systemic and locally applied antimicrobial agents to treat periodontal infection.
3. Consider the evidence supporting new drug products and identify products with no evidence to support claims.
4. Identify adverse drug effects that have an oral manifestation.
5. Examine herbal supplement-based products available for dental use and those in experimental development.

COURSE OUTLINE:

I.                    New  drug products for dental use

a.       Classification, indications, adverse drug effects, clinical relevance

b.      Clinical significance vs statistical significance

c.       Potential harmful effects of product

II.                 Considerations when herbal products are reported on health history

a.       Dietary Supplement Act and FDA monitoring

b.      American Association of Anesthesiologist warning

c.       Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine research

d.      FDA reports of toxicity and contaminants in herbal and supplement products

e.       New Dental Drug Reference with Clinical Implications identifies dentally-related information

III.               III.  Herbal dental products

a.       Essential oils, triclosan, xylitol, mucosal covering agents, etc.