Clinical management of the dental patient taking multiple drugs

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) occur often in elders often due to polypharmacy. Those over 65 currently comprise 13% of the population but consume approximately a third of all drugs prescribed. Increased care when prescribing certain drug classes and careful monitoring of the patient can prevent many ADRs. This article examines four questions that should be addressed when providing dental care for an older patient taking multiple medications. These include: (1) what are the medical conditions that necessitate the medications, (2) what impact do these medical conditions have on the provision of care, (3) what are the oral side effects of the medications, and (4) how will the patient's current list of medications alter the dentist's prescribing patterns for drugs used in dentistry?