Pharmacology, pharmacovigilance and pharmacotherapeutics
cancer, Xerostomia, caries, tooth loss, psychiatric
SIDE EFFECT, CANCER, XEROSTOMIA, CARIES, BONY METASTASES, OSTEONECROSIS OF THE JAW, OSTEOPOROSIS
Pharmacological knowledge is essential in appreciating the implications a patient's medical conditions may have on treatment planning in oral surgery, and dentistry in general. Insight into a patient's medication history facilitates safe dental interventions through risk stratification. A patient with a history of solely oral bisphosphonates for osteoporosis, for example, is at considerably lower risk of developing medication‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) than one on monthly antiresorptive therapy for cancer with bony metastases (Ruggiero et al., There is a growing recognition for the need to incorporate pharmacotherapeutics and pharmacovigilance in the curriculum of healthcare professionals, including dentists, at undergraduate and postgraduate levels (Herrera Comoglio, The application of pharmacology, pharmacotherapeutics, and pharmacovigilance in clinical dental practice is aptly illustrated through the psychiatric patient experience. Xerostomia, for instance, is a commonly encountered oral side effect of their medications and may accelerate caries progression and the rate of tooth loss (Cockburn et al., 