Adverse drug effects can also be caused by drug interactions. Drug interactions can be avoided by knowing proper drug relationships. These adverse effects range in severity from minor alterations in drug action to severe, life-threatening situations. The dental hygienist must be able to recognize the early warning signs of drug interactions to maintain the health and safety of the client. As with side effects, the FDA requires the reporting of all known drug interactions, which are updated frequently and routinely published in a variety of professional sources. Drug interactions of significance to dentistry are listed in Figure 2.
Side effects can also occur if the client is not managing medications correctly. Managing medications is difficult for both practitioners and clients, as clients are treated by multiple providers in multiple care settings, all of whom may be prescribing for specific client needs. Further, clients may be self-medicating, under/over-medicating, or may fail to comply because they misunderstood instructions, are unable to read labels, or choose to stop taking their medications due to boredom or intolerance of side effects. Helping clients manage their medications is an important role for the dental hygienist.7 Strategies to improve compliance are listed in Figure 3.
