Dental Dose addresses two facets of dental pharmacology: medications used in dentistry with systemic effects and medications used for nondental conditions that impact dentistry. Treating patients with asthma tackles both sides of dental pharmacology, explained Tom Viola in the latest episode.

Short- and long-acting medications used to treat and manage asthma can have important side effects that dental professionals should be aware of, including xerostomia, tooth decay, tachycardia, and increased risk of infection. More so, many asthma medications are delivered by an inhaler, which means the medicine first travels through the mouth.

"The hardest part is using an inhaler correctly," Viola said. "You end up with a lot of medication not necessarily in your lungs, but in your mouth."

Further, patients with asthma may be more sensitive to commonly used dental drugs and procedures. These patients tend to be more sensitive to the effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and sulfites, a preservative found in local anesthetics that contain epinephrine.

"Anything that generates an aerosol, well, that can trigger an asthma attack for patients who are somewhat sensitive to particles in the area," Viola added.

Viola recommended that dentists ask patients to bring in their inhaler with short-acting asthma medication and to keep it close at hand during their visit. See more tips and considerations for patients with asthma in the video below.

Have a topic suggestion for Dental Dose? We'd love to hear it. Send your ideas to Theresa Pablos.

Dental Dose: How to take a complete and accurate medical history
In this episode of Dental Dose, pharmacologist Tom Viola, RPh, shared the three simple questions to help professionals get a complete and accurate picture...

Dental Dose: Why prilocaine is arguably the best anesthetic
So far on Dental Dose, pharmacologist Tom Viola, RPh, has covered the advantages of articaine, lidocaine, Carbocaine, and bupivacaine. But he's saved...

Dental Dose: Why lidocaine is the golden child of dentistry
Everybody loves lidocaine. It is a great anesthetic agent. It has so many advantages that it's hard to keep track of them all. But should lidocaine be...

Dental Dose: What you need to know about bupivacaine
Bupivacaine's claim to fame is that it's the longest-acting amide anesthetic agent, noted Tom Viola, RPh, in the latest episode of Dental Dose. But how...

Dental Dose: 3 things you don't know about articaine
Chances are, articaine is the local anesthetic of choice in your office. But how well do you know the ever-popular agent? In this episode of Dental Dose,...