Dental care of the polymedication patient

With increasing frequency, ambulatory patients maintained on multiple medications are seeking dental care. Because new medications are approved for use each year and new interactions and side effects are regularly exposed for existing medications, it is important to keep current in this area. With the availability of regularly updated computer programs to help analyze accurate patient medication lists, the treatment of the polymedication patient has become much easier. The close, careful attention to patient medications should help prevent medical problems as well as reveal much about the patient's ability to withstand dental procedures.