Update on Prescribing for Paediatric Dental Patients

Course Information

Dentists are legally permitted to prescribe a wide range of medicines, even though few universities provide structured education to dental students on prescribing, let alone in the specific area of paediatrics. This one-day course is therefore useful for any dentist who prescribes or recommends medicines for treatment of children up to the age of 12 years. A general overview of the prescribing process and the skills involved will be presented followed by an update on prescribing regulations, drug scheduling, off-label prescribing, medication safety and e-scripts. This will be followed by an overview of general paediatric prescribing, including history-taking, drug selection, the importance of formulation, dosing calculations based on age Vs weight, which resources to consult, pros and cons of textbooks Vs guidelines Vs apps. Consideration will be given to overweight and underweight children, those with special needs, chronic disease and comorbidities. Examples of how children experience adverse drug reactions differently from adults will also be given. Special attention will be given to the drugs most frequently prescribed for paediatric dental patients particularly antibiotics and pain relief with reference to the new recommendations in Therapeutic Guidelines- Oral and Dental v4. Each session will be followed by case studies illustrating the key issues mentored by the expert speakers.