Dentistry and Dental Materials

Oral Medicine and Dental Pharmacology

Oral Medicine is the specialty of dentistry concerned with the oral health care of patients with chronic, recurrent and medically related disorders of the oral and maxillofacial region, and with their diagnosis and non-surgical management. Dental pharmacology is the study of drugs, or pharmaceuticals, typically used in the dental field. The most common types of drugs used by a dentist or dental professional are analgesics, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and anesthetics. Each drug works in a different way to address whatever the dental issue may be. In any case, the dental hygienist needs to be aware of the drugs that the patients are taking to prepare for possible medical emergencies, identify oral conditions that may be present because of the drugs which may be associated with antibiotics or a number of different drugs, determining the appropriate home care procedures.