Safe prescribing and medication management in dentistry

Dentists frequently encounter patients with complex medical conditions taking multiple medications, and as such, prescribing and medication management are skills required in daily clinical practice. However, research has shown that medication and prescribing errors are common, and also occur in dentistry. Errors occur for various reasons, such as inappropriate choice of medication, incorrect dosing, lack of medication knowledge, and inappropriate management of patients taking their current medications. In addition, dentists have relatively high rates of unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics and opioids. This course will provide a structured and comprehensive outline of the skills required to be a competent prescriber, the prescribing process, and consideration of the legalities of prescribing.

Learning outcomes

• Apply the principles of the prescribing process to be a safe and competent prescriber • Recognise various sources of prescribing and medication error, and how to mitigate them • Prescribe common drugs appropriately, including antibiotics, NSAIDs and opioids, recognising their limitations, contraindications and place in therapy • Differentiate oral adverse drug reactions from allergies, and learn how to prescribe for paediatrics • Identify drugs that contribute to bleeding risk and MRONJ, and learn how to manage patients taking these medicines when undergoing invasive procedures

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