Doctors’ Drugs and the Dangers of Dental Decay

Abstract

Many “anti-something” medications, which are prescribed by medical doctors for older patients, often for dubious reasons, result in a serious reduction in the quantity and quality of saliva. That drug-induced xerostomia can produce dangerous dental decay, particularly in already compromised dentitions. This article suggests that doctors should undertake a personalised “benefits, risks, alternatives, nothing” (BRAN) analysis including an assessment of the possible dental decay risks, especially before prescribing combinations of “anti-” drugs for marginal conditions. Doctors should consider carefully if alternative approaches are feasible which could produce acceptable outcomes without incurring those serious dental decay risks. Alternative approaches may include patients altering their diet and lifestyle to include more physical exercise for controlling conditions such as marginal hypertension, for example, or perhaps prescribing counselling/talking therapies for depression or anxiety. If various “anti-” drugs really do have to be prescribed, this article describes cheap, pragmatic, and effective ways of mitigating the risks of already compromised dentitions developing new decay.