Analysis and detection of dental prescribing errors at primary health care units in Brazil

To analyze dental prescribing errors in Aracaju, Brazil, and to suggest feasible improvements for patient safety.

A descriptive study was conducted at nine Primary Health Care Units (PHCUs) in the northeast region of Brazil. A convenience sample of 300 dental prescriptions was selected during the period February-May 2007. The World Health Organization (WHO) prescribing criteria were used to measure the quality of the prescriptions.

All medications were prescribed by generic name; 98.3% of prescription information contained abbreviations and 26% of them were classified as having low legibility or as being illegible. The most commonly prescribed medications were diclofenac (35%), both sodium and potassium, and amoxicillin (26%).

Dental prescribing errors should be considered as a potential area for improvement in the medication management process and patient safety. We suggest that a pharmacist should be available for medication dispensing at all units and that dentists are trained continuously so that medication orders may become more legible and complete. Improving the quality of dental prescriptions will reduce the risks for medication errors and will promote the rational use of pharmacotherapy, and patient safety.