Dental Pharmacology Flashcards
7 cards from real AGD practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Dental Pharmacology flashcards as text
Why is ibuprofen generally preferred over acetaminophen as a first-line analgesic for acute dental pain?
Answer: It provides both analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects at therapeutic doses
Ibuprofen reduces dental pain through both peripheral analgesic and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, targeting the prostaglandin-mediated inflammation that underlies most dental pain.
Acetaminophen's analgesic mechanism differs from NSAIDs primarily because it:
Answer: Acts centrally and does not significantly inhibit peripheral cyclooxygenase enzymes
Acetaminophen acts centrally on pain perception and fever without meaningful peripheral COX inhibition, which explains its lack of clinically significant anti-inflammatory action.
For a patient taking warfarin who needs post-operative pain management after a dental extraction, the most appropriate analgesic is:
Answer: Acetaminophen 500–1000 mg
Acetaminophen is preferred in anticoagulated patients because NSAIDs and aspirin inhibit platelet aggregation and may potentiate warfarin's anticoagulant effect.
The combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen is considered optimal for moderate dental pain because:
Answer: They target different pain pathways, providing additive analgesia without opioids
Ibuprofen targets peripheral inflammatory pathways (COX inhibition) while acetaminophen modulates central pain perception, providing superior multimodal analgesia.
Nitrous oxide produces its analgesic and anxiolytic effects in dentistry primarily through:
Answer: Releasing endogenous opioids and antagonizing NMDA receptors
Nitrous oxide stimulates endogenous opioid peptide release and antagonizes NMDA glutamate receptors, which together account for its analgesic and dissociative effects.
Which drug is used to reverse benzodiazepine-induced oversedation in the dental office?
Answer: Flumazenil
Flumazenil competitively antagonizes benzodiazepine binding at GABA-A receptors, rapidly reversing sedation and respiratory depression within minutes.
A patient taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) presents for dental treatment. The dentist should be most concerned about administering:
Answer: Meperidine, due to risk of potentially fatal serotonin syndrome
MAOIs combined with meperidine (pethidine) can trigger serotonin syndrome — a life-threatening reaction involving hyperthermia, agitation, and neuromuscular instability.