Biography
Biography: Nourah Abdul Kader
Abstract
The prescription of opioids in dentistry is a relevant and current issue given that this class of drugs is still widely used in the treatment of pain, and dentists play a major role in knowing how to properly prescribe them. The opioids most commonly used in today’s practice are codeine and oxycodone, they can both be prescribed to manage acute pain when all else fails, and they should be administered in association with paracetamol. The prescription of these drugs is made only when the benefits outweigh the risks and whenever strong analgesia is procured. In children, the use of codeine is compared to morphine and, according to the guidelines, the use of morphine should be considered instead, but in Portugal codeine is still prescribed. In the elderly and during pregnancy, use of opioids should be avoided and needs dose adjustments. This paper focuses on the theme that the pharmacotherapy of opioids in the practice of dentistry is common, breaking the prejudice that can arise from the prescription of this class of drugs.