AGENTS USED IN THE

TREATMENT OF
OROFACIAL DISEASE
BY
DR OTAKHOIGBOGIE UWAILA
Introduction
• Pain is one of the major reasons why patients visit the dentist.
• Attention should therefore be directed to relieving pain, discomfort
and anxiety.
• However, clinicians and patients must understand that many orofacial
conditions are chronic and although they can be ameliorated, cannot
be cured.
• Also, many mucosal conditions, for example, can only be controlled
with continued immunomodulatory therapy.
• Most of these agents are referred to as drugs or medicines.
What is a drug?

• In medicine, it refers to any substance with the potential to prevent or

cure disease or enhance physical or mental welfare; and in

pharmacology, it refers to any chemical agent that alters the

biochemical or physiological processes of tissues or organisms.

What is therapeutics?
• Therapeutics is a branch of medicine that deals specifically with the
treatment of disease and the art and science of healing.

• In pharmacology, it refers to the use of drugs and the method of their

administration in the treatment of disease.
 Categories of agents for treatment of
orofacial disease.
• Categorized as:
• 1. Analgesic agents: could be NSAID or non-NSAID (opioids or non-
opioids).
• 2.Non-analgesic agents: antidepressants, anticonvulsants, hypnotics,
anxiolytics.
• 3.Immunomodulatory agents:
• Topical anti-inflammatory eg topical corticosteroids
• Intralesional corticosteroids
• Topical calcineurin inhibitors
 • Systemic anti-inflammatory agents e.g tetracyclines
• Systemic immunosuppressants.
• Systemic corticosteroids
• Corticosteroid-sparing immunosuoressant
• Biologics
• Retinoids
• 4. Antimicrobials
• Antibacterial agents
• Antifungal agents
• Antiviral agents
 Rational use of drug/medicines

• Definition:
• The rational use of medicine requires that the patient receive
medications appropriate to their clinical needs, in doses that meet
their own individual requirements, for an adequate period of time,
and at the lowest cost to them and their community. (WHO 1985)

• Any use of medicines contrary to the above definition is considered

irrational or non-rational use of medicine.
Common types of irrational use of medicine
1. The use of too many medicines per patient (polypharmacy)
2. Inappropriate use of antimicrobials, often in inadequate dosage for
non-bacterial infections.
3. Over-use of injections, when oral formulations would be more
appropriate
4. Failure to prescribe in accordance with clinical guidelines
5. Inappropriate self-medication, often of ‘prescription-only’ drugs.
Cause of irrational use of medicine
1. Lack of knowledge, skill or independent information

2. Unrestricted availability of medicines

3. Overwork of health personnel

4. Inappropriate promotion of medicines and profit motives from

selling medicines
Impact of irrational use of medicines
A) it can result in serious morbidity and mortality, particularly for
childhood infections and chronic disease e.g hypertension, diabetes,
epilepsy and mental disorders

B) it leads to wastage of resources- often out of pocket payments by

patients

C) it can result in significant patient harm in terms of poor patients

outcomes and adverse drug reactions.
D) over-use of antimicrobials is leading to increased antimicrobial
resistance.

E) non-sterile injections lead to the transmission of hepatitis, HIV

infection, and other blood-borne disease.

F) it can stimulate inappropriate patient demand , and lead to reduced

access and attendance rate due to medicine stock-outs and loss of
patients confidence in the health system.
•Thank you