Dental Hygienist Practice Test – Pharmacology

Individuals with asthma are likely to have a hypersensitivity reaction and therefore Aspirin should not be used for these persons.

Tetracycline should not be taken with dairy products such as milk. Since milk contains calcium (a divalent cation), this reduces the intestinal absorption of tetracycline by forming nonabsorbable chelates of tetracycline.

Ibuprofen is a Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) which blocks the enzyme cyclooxygenase, resulting in anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgesic effects.

Ingestion of alcohol with metronidazole HCl (Flagyl) can potentially lead to a disulfiram (Antabuse)– like reaction. Subsequently, symptoms include, nausea, abdominal cramps, flushing, vomiting, or headache.

During a painful dental procedure, a local anesthetic with a relatively rapid onset of action, not a slow onset, is required. This is so that the level of pain can be minimised from the time between the administration of the local anesthetic and the beginning dental procedure.

The recommended dosage for adults using epinephrine is 0.3 mg, whereas the dose recommended for children is usually 0.15 mg.  The remaining options (i.e. A, B and E) present extremely high dosages not considered to be safe.

Anticholinergic drugs prevent salivation

Probenecid is used to help prevent a gout attack. The medication works by removing the extra uric acid in the blood.

Patients with a true codeine allergy should not be given Oxycodone (Percodan, Percocet, Tylox) since it is a member of the morphine / codeine group of opioid analgesics, which is likely to present cross-allergenicity.

Dextromethorphan is commonly used as an antitussive to relieve cough.

Tetracycline should not be used in pregnant patients due to the effect it can have on the development of teeth and skeleton of the fetus.

After oral administration, Nystatin (Mycostatin, Nilstat) is not absorbed but is excreted unchanged in feces.

Acetaminophen is considered safe for patients with gastric ulcers as it does not cause gastrointestinal (GI) upset or bleeding.

Isoflurane causes significant respiratory acidosis and irritation.

The shortest acting barbiturate is Methohexital (Brevital)

Beriberi is caused by a deficiency of thiamine (Vitamin B-1).

Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) is associated with xerostomia. Cyclobenzaprine is a muscle relaxant.

One of the characteristics of xylitol is that it has a bacteriostatic effect – not bactericidal. The main strains of S. Mutans and S. Sanguis cannot metabolize xylitol, and this effect is potentiated in combination with sorbitol.

Verapamil is a common calcium channel blocker

Lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid) is commonly used as treatment for Bipolar depression.