DAST-122 Pharmacology for Dental Assistants

Credits 1 / 1 Contact Hours
Pre-requisite: Placement into College Level Reading, completion of ELAP-120 with a 2.0 or higher, or successful completion of ACRD-090, ACRD-091 or ACRD-092. Co-requisite: DAST-120, DAST-121, DAST-123, DAST-124, DAST-125, DAST-126, DAST-127 and DHDA-114 Note: Division signature is required for registration.
This course is a study of basic pharmaceutical terminology law therapeutic principles methods of administration and effects of drugs and medications used in dentistry.

Course Outcomes
1. Identify the major drugs covered by the controlled Substance Act 2. Identify the major routes of drug administration 3. Define the term pharmacology and list the broad and specific classes that drug names can be divided into 4. Discuss the terminology of drug effects 5. Describe the most common drugs used in dentistry for the control of anxiety 6. Differentiate between mild analgesics and strong analgesics, i.e. narcotic and synthetic narcotics 7. Describe the specialized uses and hazards in dentistry of the antibiotics: penicillin, tetracycline and erythromycin 8. Describe the characteristics of vasoconstrictors, antihistamine drugs, coricosteroids and atropine sulfate 9. Describe the characteristics of local anesthetics including composition, mode of action and unfavorable reaction 10. Identify the 4 stages of general anesthesia and describe the agents most commonly used to produce general anesthesia 11. Describe the use of nitrous oxide-oxygen relative analgesia in dentistry 12. Use the Physician’s Desk Reference correctly and efficiently 13. List the components of prescription writing 14. Record prescriptions on patient charts