Alcohol

Question 1

What is alcohol use disorder?

Answer 1

-patients’ drinking causes distress or harm

Question 2

What is binge drinking?

Answer 2

-when BAC is .01 g/dL

Question 3

Why do people misuse or abuse alcohol

Answer 3

• self medication
• altered mental state
• genetics

Question 4

What are the characteristics of alcohol?

Answer 4

• Small simple molecule
• Depressant
• Barbiturate like

Question 5

What can alcohol do with endorphins/GABA/DA?

Answer 5

-Cause a release/increase of endorphins that slows down GABA and cause an increase in DA release

Question 6

Where is most alcohol absorbed?

Answer 6

-Small intestine but distributes everywhere in the body

Question 7

What does food do for alcohol consumption?

Answer 7

-Slows the absorption of alcohol in the system

Question 8

What can alcohol distribute across?

Answer 8

• Placental barrier

- Breast milk

Question 9

What is the metabolism of alcohol?

Answer 9

-Zero order kinetics (constant rate independent of original concentration/dose)

Question 10

What is ethanol broken down by?

Answer 10

-Alcohol dehydrogenase

Question 11

What is ethanol broken down into?

Answer 11

-Acetaldehyde

Question 12

Where is most alcohol eliminated?

Answer 12

• Urine

- Breath

Question 13

What occurs if you have a BAC of 5-100 mg/DL (.05 to .1 %)?

Answer 13

• Sedation

- Slower reaction times

Question 14

What occurs if you have a BAC of 100-200 mg/dL?

Answer 14

• Impaired motor function

- Slurred speech

Question 15

T/F Abrupt withdrawal of alcohol can be life threatening

Answer 15

True

Question 16

What does alcohol do for the cardiovascular system?

Answer 16

• Vasodilator
• Can become increase risk for hypertension and Cardiovascular disease at high chronic doses
• Increase you HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol)

Question 17

What are the physiological effects of alcohol on the liver?

Answer 17

• Alcohol is metabolized here
• Fatty liver
• Cirrhosis

Question 18

What are the physiological effects of alcohol on the kidney’s?

Answer 18

• Diuretic
• Decrease ADH secretion
• Increase urine secretion

Question 19

What are the physiological effects of alcohol on the GI tract?

Answer 19

-Increase Acid secretion

Question 20

What are the physiological effects of alcohol on the immune system?

Answer 20

-Suppress the innate and adaptive

Question 21

What are the pathophysiological effects of alcohol?

Answer 21

• Cancer (increase risk of GI cancer)
• malnourishment
• fetal alcohol syndrome
• hangover
• tolerance
• dependence

Question 22

What are the malnourishment effects of alcohol?

Answer 22

-Vitamin deficiencies

Question 23

What do you see with a hangover?

Answer 23

• Headache
• Nausea
• Dry mouth

Question 24

What drugs can alcohol interact with?

Answer 24

• p450 associated drugs
• Acetaminophen
• Phenothiazines
• Tricyclic antidepressants
• Sedative hypnotic drugs
• Vasodilators

Question 25

What are drugs to treat alcoholism?

Answer 25

• Disulfiram
• Naltrexone
• Acamprosate

Question 26

What does Disulfiram do?

Answer 26

-Inhibits ALDH with resulting increased acetaldehyde after drinking

Question 27

What does Naltrexone do?

Answer 27

• Mu opioid receptor antagonist

- Felt to decrease drinking through decrease feeling of reward with alcohol

Question 28

What does Acamprosate do?

Answer 28

• Weak antagonist of NMDA receptors
• Activator of GABA a receptors
• May decrease mild protracted abstinence syndromes with decreased feeling of a need for alcohol

Question 29

What are the dental considerations for pts using alcohol?

Answer 29

• Increased risk for oral diseases such as caries and periodontitis
• Decreased salivary flow
• Leukoplakia
• Inflamed gingiva
• Increased bleeding time from Vitamin K deficency