title: Dental management of the recovered chemically dependent patient.
abstract: People who are recovered from chemical dependency are frequently seen in dental practice. They have special needs, especially in pain management. Understanding chemical dependency and establishing a good pretreatment rapport with the patient will assist the dentist in reducing the need for postoperative analgesics. The practitioner should rely highly on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents as primary analgesics for these patients. Opiate derivatives, tranquilizers, sedatives, cough syrups, and general anesthetics should be avoided.
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism; D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003730:Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders