What the dental practitioner needs to know about pharmaco-therapeutic of COVID-19

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Pharmacotherapy of COVID-19 is likely to impact dental practice because many of these pharmacotherapeuticagents are widely used for the dental patient particularly analgesics and antibiotics. Non-opioid analgesics namely paracetamol and NSAIDs are recommended in both COVID- 19 and dental diseases for their antipyretic and analgesic effects. Azithromycin is also a preferred antibiotic in the dental setting for certain patient categories. Dental practitioners should bear in mind that corticosteroids may be considered in some treatment protocols in COVID-19 patients who could subsequently develop side effects. Although some COVID-19 drugs such as antivirals and hydroxychloroquine are less relevant to dental practice, their association with long term adverse effects necessitates sufficient awareness about them among dental practitioners. Finally, selecting the appropriate drug therapy for the dental patient involves not only the therapeutic indications, but also the potential adverse effects and the individual systemic condition of the patient

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