20 COMMONLY DISPENSED MEDICATIONS AT A UNITED-STATES-MILITARY-INSTALLATION AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE TO DENTISTS

Understanding the clinical pharmacology of medications commonly used b y dental patients is necessary when providing dental care. A significa nt number of patients may be taking medications that have the potentia l for adverse effects, The purpose of this paper is to familiarize den tal practitioners with the clinical pharmacology of medications most l ikely to be encountered in a current military dental practice, Product activity reports (records of medication usage) were obtained from the main pharmacy at a United States Army Community Hospital. The product activity reports covered a 1-year period from December 31, 1992, to D ecember 30, 1993. These reports were analyzed according to the number of medications dispensed to determine the 20 most commonly used medica tions.