Pharmacology in Dentistry

Study Notes

Definition and Scope of Pharmacology

Pharmacology is the science that deals with the chemical and physical properties of drugs, their sources, effects, biotransformation, and excretion.
It is the study of the effects of chemical substances upon living tissues.

Importance of Pharmacology in Dentistry

To cure disease
To prescribe drugs to patients appropriate for their condition
To communicate with medical staff and practitioners
To obtain maximal advantage while producing minimal disadvantages
To be aware of how drugs may modify the physiology of the patient

History of Pharmacology

Began with observations on the effects of certain plant roots and leaves on human awareness and function
Developed into herbal therapeutics
Spread and shared knowledge on predictable effects of certain plants
Evolved into a huge industrial and academic community concerned with the study and development of drugs

Periods of Pharmacology

Early Period

Characterized by empirical observations in the use of crude drugs
Primitive people discovered relationships between drugs and disease
Sir William Osler (1894): "man has an inborn craving for medicine"

Modern Period

Based on experimental investigations on the site and mode of action of drugs
Francois Magendie initiated the scientific method to studies on drugs
Claude Bernard expanded the methods of Francois Magendie
Oswald Schmiedeburg is touted with the development of Experimental Pharmacology in Germany
John Jacob Abel is associated with the development of Experimental Pharmacology in America

Contributors to Pharmacology

Claude Bernard: expanded application of scientific method
Alexander Fleming: discovered penicillin
Hippocrates: father of medicine
Oswald Schmiedeburg: development of experimental pharmacology, father of modern pharmacology
Joseph Lister: antiseptic technique
John Jacob Abel: epinephrine from adrenal gland extracts, isolation of histamine, and preparation of pure crystalline insulin
Reid Hunt: discovered acetylcholine in adrenal extracts

Branches of Pharmacology

Pharmacokinetics

Concerned with the absorption, distribution, biotransformation, and excretion of drugs
Deals with how the body handles the drug

Pharmacodynamics

Deals with the effects of drugs in the body
Concerned with the mechanism of action/effect of a drug in living organisms
Deals with the physiologic and biochemical effects of the drug
Concerned with how the drug produces its effect and what the drug does to the body

Pharmacognosy

Concerned with the identification and procurement of crude and naturally occurring drugs
Formerly known as "Materia Medica"

Description

Learn about the science that deals with the properties of drugs, their effects on living tissues, and the importance of pharmacology in dentistry for curing diseases, prescribing appropriate drugs, and effective communication with medical professionals.