Background: Dental patients often have comorbidities and take multiple medications, some of which could impact their dental health and treatment.  A pharmacist in a dental clinic can assist with the gathering, documentation and evaluation of a dental patient’s medication history as it pertains to their dental visit and overall health.  Purpose: To develop and implement a collaborative and interprofessional education program with a pharmacist providing services in a dental school clinic.     Summary: Creighton University School of Dentistry, a student-operated dental clinic located in Omaha, Nebraska, provides dental care by student dentists, faculty and staff to the surrounding community in a learning-focused environment.  A pharmacist was incorporated into the dental clinic to create and establish an interprofessional relationship with both dental students and faculty beginning August 2014.  Pharmacy students on an ambulatory care advanced pharmacy practice experience rotation were eventually added to the team.  The pharmacy team provided medication therapy management services including disease state and medication counseling, medication reconciliation, identifying drug-related problems and dental implications of medications, and recommendations for prescribed medications.  Conclusion: The pharmacy team’s presence was largely accepted by dental faculty, staff, dental students, and patients.  Pharmacists can play an important role in a dental clinic by performing thorough health and medication histories and communicating with dental and medical providers involved in a patient’s care.   

An accurate medication history allows the oral health care provider (OHCP) to evaluate a patient's overall health and disease status, as well as assess the effect medications may have on dental treatment and oral health. It has been previously documented that dental patients do not always report an accurate medication list. The aims of this study were to determine dental patients' perceptions regarding the importance and likelihood of accurately disclosing prescription, over-the-counter (OTC), and herbal/supplement medications to their OHCP. A voluntary patient survey was administered from October 2015 through March 2016 to new dental patients at the Creighton University School of Dentistry student-operated clinic. Of 300 surveys distributed, 217 were found to be complete for inclusion in the evaluation (response rate 72.3%). Of the responding patients, 75.6%, 69.1%, and 63.6% reported believing it was very important to inform their dentists of their prescribed, OTC, and herbal/supplement medications, respectively. Additionally, 80.7%, 71.4%, and 62.7% reported that they always informed their dentists of all their prescribed, OTC, and herbal/supplement medications, respectively. Although the majority of these patients agreed on the importance of reporting medication information to their OHCP and reported doing so, this survey found room for improvement, especially regarding OTC and herbal/supplement medications. It is imperative that both the pharmacist and OHCP educate dental and pharmacy students to inform patients of the importance of providing an accurate and complete medication history to ensure the safest possible delivery of their dental treatment.