OVERVIEW

Pharmacological Reversal Agents in Dental Practice: Keys to Patient Safety is organized by Dental Learning Systems, LLC and will be held from Dec 01, 2018 - Dec 31, 2019. This CME Conference has been approved for a maximum of 2.00 Credit(s).

Description :
Though uncommon, medical emergencies in the dental office are harrowing occurrences that can be the result of adverse drug reactions. Pharmacological antagonists have been developed for administration as reversal agents in emergency situations in which patients may have an untoward effect, typically caused by too much medication. Dental practitioners should be familiar with these agents to keep patients safe and help mitigate drug-induced medical emergencies. This article reviews the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics principles of pharmacological antagonists; it emphasizes six specific reversal agents as they relate to the clinical practice of dentistry: naloxone, flumazenil, epinephrine, diphenhydramine, phentolamine, and atropine. Outside of emergency situations, the pharmacological antagonist phentolamine has been developed to reverse the effects of the vasoconstrictor in dental local anesthesia preparations when the effects of the agonist medication are no longer required. Such newer reversal agents are being considered for more routine use once the dental procedure is complete. This article is intended to assist dental practitioners who are familiar with pharmacological antagonists to be better able to help mitigate drug-induced medical emergencies should they occur.

Learning Objectives :
• Describe the relationship between the pharmacodynamics of a drug and its pharmacokinetics
• Explain the differences between agonists and antagonists
• Discuss six specific pharmacological reversal agents as they relate to the practice of dentistry

Additional details will be posted as soon as they are available.