High prevalence of potential psychotropic drugs interactions among Brazilian dental patients

Abstract

ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of potential drug–drug interactions involving psychotropics prescribed by dentists, and dispensed by the public healthcare system, as well as to describe the severity and level of evidence of those interactions in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.Materials and MethodsWe conducted data analysis from pharmaceutical claims in which dental patients received systemic psychotropics in 2017. Data from the Pharmaceutical Management System provided the drug dispensing history of the patients, allowing the identification of those on concomitant medication use. The outcome was the occurrence of potential drug–drug interactions, which were detected according to IBM Micromedex®. Independent variables were the patient's sex, age, and the number of drugs used. Descriptive statistics was performed using SPSS v. 26.ResultsOverall, 1480 individuals were prescribed psychotropic drugs. The prevalence of potential drug–drug interactions was 24.8% (n = 366). The total of 648 interactions was observed and, most of which were of major severity (n = 438, 67.6%). Most interactions occurred in female individuals (n = 235; 64.2%), with 46.0 (±17.3) years‐old, concurrently taking 3.7 (±1.9) drugs.ConclusionA substantial proportion of dental patients presented potential drug–drug interactions, mostly of major severity, which might be life‐threatening.

A Comparative Analysis of Three Online Drug-Drug Interaction Checkers: A Short Communication

“…Since the occurrence of DDI relies on the concurrent use of at least two drugs, only individuals who were prescribed psychotropics by dentists, as well as other drugs during the same time, were deemed eligible for this study. Further details about the selection processes were published elsewhere [12].…”

“…Despite interaction checkers, studies have reported a substantial frequency of DDI in patients under dental care [9][10][11][12].…”

“…Similar findings were reported by de Oliveira et al [11] in the South of Brazil. Additionally, 25% of patients who were prescribed psychotropic drugs by dental practitioners in Minas Gerais, Brazil, might have experienced some DDI [12]. Despite the relevance of the available literature, the majority of the studies assessed the occurrence of DDI based on a single interaction checker.…”