[The prescription of drugs in a dental clinic of a Mexican university hospital].
OBJECTIVE
To assess the drug prescription service in a dental clinic of a Mexican university hospital.


METHODS
An observational, descriptive study was carried out which analysed 698 drugs prescribed for dental problems in 14 dental health care departments in our clinic between the period of January-June 2005. The following criteria were established: prescribed drug, indication, dosage, dosage interval, individualised treatment, treatment duration and potential drug interactions. Information taken from prescriptions and clinical records was compared with information from literature on the subject in order to determine the adequacy of prescription criteria.


RESULTS
The most frequently prescribed drugs were paracetamol, naproxen, ampicillin and dicloxacillin (43.26, 15.38, 7.45 and 7.02%). The prescription criteria which showed the least adequacy were as follows: indication, dosage and dosage interval. The main potential drug interactions occurred between non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and captopril/amoxicillin.


CONCLUSIONS
Taking the above into consideration, it was determined that 37.25% of prescriptions were inadequate. This study has helped to establish strategies which will facilitate the appropriate use of drugs in the future.
Gómez-Oliván
L M
LM
Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México. lolivan@uaemex.mx
Márquez Rodríguez
S
S
Pontigo Loyola
P
P
Téllez López
A
A
Amaya-Chávez
A
A
Galar-Martínez
M
M
D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003740:Dental Clinics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008800:Mexico; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal