Chapter 04 - Pharmacology Basics Flashcards
Objective of using LA in dental tx?
Produce anesthesia for a specific area, and sometimes to reduce localized bleeding.
Primary benefit of LA?
Pain sensation suppression without significant CNS depression, allowing most dental tx to be performed under LA without exposing pt to risks of general anesthesia.
Legal & ethical requirements for all health professionals administering LA drugs?
- Sound knowledge of LA drugs & techniques crucial to safe/successful anesthesia
- Understanding of influences of medically compromised function, susceptibility to adverse rxns, awareness of pt’s medications
- Legal & ethical responsibility for these considerations & consequences
Two primary routes of delivery for LA drugs
Topical and submucosal injection
Why is topical more effective on mucosa than on skin?
Because of the ease of penetration through thin mucosal barriers to reach underlying nerves.
Why are injections of LA more effective than topical routes of administration?
Due to the direct placement of drugs in close proximity to nerves
List ideal properties of LA drugs used in dentistry:
- high biocompatibility with no systemic effects
- rapid onset
- no toxicity to tissue (incl. nerve tissue)
- therapeutic duration & potency w/o inducing hypersensitivity or unconciousness
- sterilizeable
- readily biotransformed
- excellent topical effects at low concentrations
List the 5 injectable LA drugs currently available in cartidges
articaine, bupivacaine, lidocaine, mepivacaine, and prilocaine
Name the intermediate chains used to classify injectable anesthetic drugs used in dentistry.
Amides or esters
What is a relatively easy way to distinguish b/w the 2 formulas of intermediate chains in LA drugs?
Amide intermediate chain contains nitrogen.
Ester chain does not.
2 important functions of the amide & ester intermediate chains:
- provide proper spacing b/w the aromatic (lipophilic) end & the secondary or tertiary amine (hydrophilic) end => allows LAD to be effective in the tissues
- provide for major pathways of biotransformation
Define PHARMACODYNAMICS
refers to the actions of a drug on the body
Define PHARMACOKINETICS
refers to the manner in which the body manages the drug, specifically: Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism (biotransformation), elimination
Major difference b/w LADs and the majority of other drugs?
Systemic effects are NOT desired with with local anesthetic drugs
What are the 2 chemical forms of LA molecules in solution?
Neutral base and cation
Explain the effect of LA drugs on nerve membranes based on the SPECIFIC PROTEIN RECPTOR THEORY:
LA molecules bind to structural protein/specific receptor sites = agonist drug effect => impulse propagation is prevented b/c sodium ions cannot pass through channels closed/ blocked by cationic drug molecules (~ 90% of anesth effect)