Prescription Aids in Everyday Dentistry

Abstract

It is an unfortunate fact that prescrip­ tions are too infrequently written by'the dentist. While the greater part of therapy in dentistry concerns itself with proce­ dures in the mouth and the application of therapeutic agents directly by the dentist, it should be emphasized that the use of prescriptions serves as a valuable and necessary adjunct to the proper practice of dentistry. The practitioner who does not avail himself of this ad­ vantage fails to do justice to both the patient and himself. By prescribing drugs where indicated, the practitioner has complete control over the case in ques­ tion. This procedure eliminates the dangerous practice of self-medication, so often indulged in by patients. A prescription is the prescriber’s (physician’s, dentist’s, veterinarian’s) written formula for medicines, with di­ rections to the pharmacist for compound­ ing them and to the patient for taking them. This definition does not preclude the use of a single drug already prepared in its dosage form (tablets, capsules, and so forth ). An official prescription in this country is one that calls for a preparation listed in any one of the three official texts: United States Pharmacopoeia (U.S.P.), National Formulary (N.F.) and the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia. The rea­ son the preparations listed in these texts are called official is because the stand­ ards given for the preparations in them are recognized by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938. It should be borne in mind that official drugs are available under trade names. Many drugs may be marketed by different manufac­ turers. In many instances, prescribing the drug under the official name will result in economy for the patient, a factor to be considered, and may serve as an added convenience to the pharmacist. There is no objection, however, to pro­ prietary mixtures which serve a special purpose. In the latter instance it would be well to use the latest edition of A c­ cepted Dental Remedies as a guide. The prescriptions in this paper are written in English and the metric system. When the vertical line appears in a pre­ scription it indicates that the prescription calls for quantities in the metric system: for weight in grams (Gm.) and for vol­ ume in cubic centimeters (cc.). This vertical line designates the decimal point. Prescriptions calling for the metric system of weights and measures use Arabic nu­ merals. Many advantages have been claimed for the use of Latin over English. The chief argument in favor of Latin lies in the patient being unaware of the medi-