COMMUNITY pharmacists' knowledge about dental conditions is "suboptimal", researchers from the University of Western Australian and Monash University believe.
A case vignette study of pharmacists' ability to identify the indications for dental prescriptions, published in the International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, found just 54% of the 202 participants were able to correctly answer more than half of the nine questions posed in an online survey.
The study found that less than 14% of respondents were able to correctly answer questions around peri-implantitis, while 95.5% were able to provide the right answer when presented with a case regarding trigeminal neuralgia.
While the study identified gaps in pharmacists' knowledge, the authors found that pharmacists' self-reported perceptions of prescriptions for different dental ailments were largely positive.
Almost two-thirds of respondents felt confident in their ability to safely and effectively dispense dental prescriptions.
"The knowledge demonstrated by participants through correct identification of the dental prescription indications was suboptimal," the authors said.
"There were knowledge gaps for various dental conditions such as dental implant infection, aphthous ulcers, dental trauma and anti-inflammatory choices.
"However, pharmacists with postgraduate qualifications or extended clinical experience (greater than 10 years of practice) were more likely to provide correct answers to survey questions."
The authors added that determining specific knowledge gaps related to prescriptions for dental medicines could open the door for professional development for community pharmacists.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 13 May 22
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