6 - Medicines in oral medicine

Question 1

What types of medicines are commonly used in oral medicine?

3

Answer 1

• antimicrobial
• topical steroids
• dry mouth medication

Question 2

What types of antimicrobial drugs are used in oral medicine?

3

Answer 2

• antiviral
• antifungal
• antibiotics

Question 3

What types of topical steroids are used in oral medicine?

2

Answer 3

• inhaler steroids
• steroid mouthwash

Question 4

What are the classifications of medicines?

5

Answer 4

• general sales
• pharmacy medicines
• prescription only medications
• controlled drugs
• medical devices

Question 5

What medicine classification do saliva substitutes fall under?

Answer 5

Medical devices

Question 6

What is a licensed medicine?

Answer 6

• medicine that has proven evidence to have efficacy and safety at defined doses to treat a specified condition
• “approved for use in…”

Question 7

What is an unlicensed medicine?

Answer 7

• medicine that is used to treat something that there is not submitted evidence of the efficacy of treating the condition
• is a licensed medicine for the treatment of another condition
• “off-licence” or “off-label” prescription is at the discretion of the prescriber
• requires an off-licence PIL

Question 8

Give an example of a licensed antiviral used in oral medicine.

1

Answer 8

• aciclovir
• used to treat primary herpetic gingivostomatitis, recurent herpetic lesions, shingles (recurrent herpes zoster)

Question 9

Give an example of a licensed antifungal used in oral medicine.

3

Answer 9

• miconazole, flucaonazole, nystatin
• used to treat acute pseudomembranous candidiasis, acute erythematous candidiasis

Question 10

Give an example of a unlicensed topical steroid used in oral medicine.

2

Answer 10

• betamethasone mouthwash
• beclomethasone metered dose inhaler
• both used to treat apthous ulcers, lichen planus

Question 11

Define a medical device.

Answer 11

Used for
- treatment and alleviation of disease
- replacement of a physiological process

Question 12

Give examples of salivary replacements.

3

Answer 12

• saliva orthana
• biotene
• glandosane

Question 13

Give examples of medicines used in specialist oral medicine.

6

Answer 13

• tricyclic antidepressants (orofacial pain)
• gabapentin/pregabalin (orofacial pain)
• azathioprine
• mycophenolate
• hydroxycholoroquine
• colchicine

Question 14

What information is required on a prescription?

Answer 14

• patient’s name, address, age (U18s)
• DoB, CHI
• number of days tx
• drug name, formulation, quantity and dose
• patient instructions
• signed with prescriber identifier