ANALGESIC DRUGS IN DENTISTRY- A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY AMONG DENTISTS IN A PRIVATE DENTAL COLLEGE

Aim: The objective of this survey was to assess the awareness pattern of analgesic administration and the various factors impacting the prescription of analgesics. Materials and methods: Pretested interviewer administered questionnaire was distributed to 100 study subjects consisting of post graduates and dental practitioners in Chennai. The questionnaire was designed to contain questions regarding the most commonly prescribed analgesic in various dental procedures and the various factors taken into account by the dentist while prescribing these analgesic drugs. The data was analysed using SPSS software. Results: In this study, the most commonly prescribed analgesic was paracetamol (78%). 63 % of the dentists preferred non-opioids, 28% preferred opioids and the remaining 9% prescribed both opioids and non-opioids.87% of the dentists have chosen  combinations of analgesics. The most commonly prescribed combination was  paracetamol with diclofenac(59%). 83% of the dentists preferred topical analgesics. 94% of the dentists took into account, the medical condition of the patient while prescribing analgesics. Special care for pediatric patients was given by 97% of the dentists. Among factors like age, gender, economic status and type of procedure, 97% of dentists considered the age, 16% considered the gender, 44 % considered the economic status of the patient and 94% considered the type of procedure for which the analgesic was prescribed. Conclusion: This study could give light to the prescribing pattern of analgesics in a dental office as many new drugs are introduced and many are banned due to their side effects