Abstract

LUCIO, Priscilla Suassuna Carneiro; CASTRO, Ricardo Dias de  and  BARRETO, Rosimar de Castro. Drug prescriptions from the viewpoint of dental students. Arq. Odontol. [online]. 2011, vol.47, n.4, pp. 188-195. ISSN 1516-0939.

Aim: To analyze, among dental students from two public universities in Paraiba, these students' points of view regarding prescription drugs, as well as to verify if the knowledge acquired during their undergraduate studies is sufficient to correctly and safely prescribe medications. Material and Methods: The sample was defined by convenience, corresponding to 132 students enrolled at the Federal University of Paraiba (UFPB) and State University of Paraiba (UEPB), who had already taken the course in pharmacology/therapeutics. The data collection instrument consisted of a questionnaire, which contained objective and subjective questions. For information analysis, a database in Excel was prepared, and descriptive statistics were produced. Results: The students feel the need for diverse information concerning pharmacological knowledge. The main source of information used, and which will be used for prescriptions, is the knowledge acquired during their undergraduate studies and in their medical school textbooks; 58.3% and 85.2% of students from UFPB and UEPB, respectively, deemed the knowledge acquired during their studies insufficient enough to become a prescriber. Conclusion: Dental students from UFPB and UEPB do not feel confident when writing out a prescription. The data emphasizes the need for improvements in academic contents and approaches, together with changes in teaching methodologies.

Keywords : Drug prescriptions.; Dentistry students.; Clinical pharmacology..