DRUG UTILIZATION PATTERN IN ORAL MEDICINE DEPARTMENT OF SAVEETHA DENTAL COLLEGE, TAMIL NADU, INDIA

Abstract

Introduction: Drug utilization study helps to understand the pattern of drug use in different set up. Very limited numbers of drug utilization pattern studies have been conducted in dental colleges in India. The present study was done to find out the drug utilization pattern of the oral medicine department of a dental college in India.

Methodology: The study was conducted among the out patients in the oral medicine department of Saveetha Dental College of South India from May to June, 2014. The different drugs prescribed, average number of drugs per prescription, percentage of prescription having injectable drugs, percentage of prescriptions having antibiotics prescribed, percentage of prescriptions having analgesic prescribed, percentage of drugs prescribed from generic name were analyzed in SPSS (version 16.0).

Results and Discussion: Total 278 drugs were prescribed for 300 prescriptions having 0.93 average numbers of drugs per prescription. Only 10.97% drugs were prescribed in generic name. 42% prescriptions had antibiotics and 21.67% prescriptions had analgesics. Main antibiotics prescribed were metronidazole, amoxicillin, azithromycin. Main analgesics prescribed are diclofenac, paracetamol and aceclofenac. Further study in larger sample size is required to have an overall idea about the pattern of prescription of the drugs by the dentists. Beside dentists should be motivated to prescribe drugs by generic name as well as they should be trained in rational use of medicine.