[Pharmacovigilance among dentists: a survey of practitioners in Dakar, Senegal]

Since 1968, the World Health Organization has used an international pharmacovigilance programme to monitor and examine the effects of drugs. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of dentists toward pharmacovigilance.

The paper presents the results of a cross-sectional descriptive study of 103 dentists in Senegal, based on an exhaustive selection process. Data were collected on the dentists' sociodemographic characteristics and their knowledge and attitudes toward pharmacovigilance.

Over 50% of the sample were general practitioners. The average number of years of professional experience was 9 years. Painkillers (41.9%) were the most widely prescribed drugs, followed by antibiotics, which were particularly involved in the onset of adverse effects (41.8%). Adverse effects were observed by just 3.8% of the sample. Almost 90% of the participants were not aware of the existing pharmacovigilance system.

The results suggest that pharmacovigilance training and education sessions for dentists are needed to improve their knowledge of pharmacovigilance and to foster positive attitudes toward adverse effects.