PRESCRIBING PATTERNS OF ANALGESICS FOR DENTAL PAIN IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITALS OF KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA (KP)

Background: Analgesics are prescribed for dental pains and inflammation. Dentists need to analyze the prescribing patterns of analgesics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Objectives: The study aims to assess the rational use and patterns of prescribing analgesics for dental pain and inflammation management based on information obtained from dentists in KPK. Methodology: The current investigation utilized prescriptions to study dentists’ prescribing patterns of analgesics. The data was collected during October 2022 and August 2023. The prescriptions were collected from tertiary care hospitals in KP province. Results: A total of 400 patients’ prescriptions were analyzed, comprising males (55%) and females (45%). The most frequently prescribed generic analgesics were flurbiprofen (n= 174), ibuprofen (n= 49), paracetamol (n= 19), naproxen sodium (n= 18), lornoxicam (n= 18), and nimesulide (n= 17). The most common brand prescriptions included Tornil (n= 97), Brufen (n= 48), Inflamatix (n= 44), Synflex (n= 3), and Ansaid (n= 8), and Panadol (n= 10), among others. The prescribed dosage forms for male patients were primarily tablets (92.73%), followed by syrup (0.91%) and suspension (0.45%), and for female patients were primarily tablets (98%), followed by syrup (2%), capsules (1%), and gel (1%). Among the patients, 91 drugs were prescribed from the Essential Drug List (EDL), while 304 drugs were not from the list. Conclusion: The current study’s findings showed that flurbiprofen and ibuprofen were the medications that dentists prescribed most frequently as analgesics for dental pain therapy. Many of the drugs chosen were not from the EDL.