| CODE | CPH1700 | |||||||||
| TITLE | General Pharmacology in Dentistry | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | An introduction to the study of General Pharmacology. Emphasis will be given to the application of pharmacology in relation to Dental Surgery. The study-unit will cover concepts in basic, molecular and clinical pharmacology. It will cover pharmacokinetic principles in drug therapy; give an overview of cellular modes of drug action; genetic contribution to the effects of drug; adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, allergic responses to drugs and their clinical relevance. It will also introduce drug delivery systems and the economic aspects of dental drug prescribing - optimizing drug use. Study-unit Aims: - To provide Dental Students with a sound understanding of the principles underlying the therapeutic action of drugs. - To give Dental Students a general introduction to pharmacokinetics i.e. the determinants of the time course of the drug in the body, applying pharmacokinetic principles in order to provide rational drug therapy. - To provide the Dental Students with a basis of different drug delivery systems, the principles underlying evidence-based medicine and issues concerning clinical pharmacology at the extremes of age. - To provide a tutorial-based discussion forum for Dental Students to expand on the content of the study-unit in areas relevant to Dental Surgery. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Apply the basic principles used in molecular pharmacology; - List the molecular and genetic principles involved in the mode of action of drugs; - Predict the effects of drugs in specific populations eg adverse drug effects, iatrogenic effects and drug interactions; - Interpret pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data and drug plasma concentrations; - Outline the concept of individualised drug therapy and drug development; - List the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of the 'ideal drug'. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Apply knowledge of the molecular mode of action of drugs to specific clinical scenarios; - Apply basic pharmacological and pharmacokinetic principles in prescribing decisions; - Predict interpatient variability with respect to drug response; - Explain the selection of differing drug therapies for the individual patient. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Pharmacology and Dental Therapeutics. Third Edition. Robin A. Seymour, John G. Meechan, and Michael S. Yates. ISBN: 978-0-19-262952-4. - Laurence and Bennett. Clinical Pharmacology. Churchill Livingston. - Rang, Dale and Ritter. Pharmacology. 6th Edition Churchill Livingstone. - Pharmacology in Dental Medicine: Clinician's Guide (Clinician's Guides) (Paperback) by Jeffrey M. Casiglia (Author), Peter L. Jacobsen (Author) B.C. Decker pub. - ADA/PDR Guide to Dental Therapeutics, 4th Edition (Paperback) by Physicians' Desk Reference (Compiler), American Dental Association (Collaborator), Thomson Reuters pub. Study Aids: - Dale, Dickenson and Haylett. Companion to Pharmacology,. Churchill Livingstone. - Neal. Medical Pharmacology at a glance. Blackwell Science. - Harvey Champ. Pharmacology - Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews. Lippincott-Raven. - Reid, JL, Rubin, PC, Whiting B. Lecture notes on Clinical Pharmacology. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Students from all University courses which satisfy the following conditions: (a) The course does not already include Pharmacology as an integral component, (b) The course includes human biology-related and chemistry study areas which the student has already followed. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | |||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Maria A. Cordina Roger Ellul Micallef Anthony Fenech Janet Mifsud Charles Scerri Doriette Soler Patricia Vella Bonanno |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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