Objective: To assess the drug prescription service in a dental clinic of a Mexican university hospital.
Method: 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.