Book excerpt: Gain a complete understanding of drugs affecting patient care! Pharmacology and Therapeutics for Dentistry, 7th Edition describes how to evaluate a patient's health and optimize dental treatment by factoring in the drugs they take. It explores the basic principles of pharmacology, the ways that drugs affect the body, and the potential for adverse drug interactions. Developed by Frank Dowd, Barton Johnson, and Angelo Mariotti, with chapters from a team of expert contributors, this is the only book written by dental pharmacologists for the dental market. Whether you're concerned about the drugs a patient is already taking or the drugs you prescribe for treatment, this book helps you reduce risk and provide effective dental care. - Concise, comprehensive coverage helps you provide safe and effective dental care, exploring the fundamentals of pharmacology and clearly explaining actions of specific drug groups on systems in the human body in addition to covering special topics such as pain control, fear and anxiety, and oral complications of cancer therapy. - An emphasis on the dental applications of pharmacology shows how to evaluate a patient's health and optimize dental treatment by factoring in any medications the patient may be taking. - Practical appendices provide easy access to essential information, summarizing topics such as drug interactions in clinical dentistry, antiseptics and disinfectants, herbs, controlled substances, protein biopharmaceuticals, drugs used to treat glaucoma, and abbreviations. - Clinical Rationale for and Significance of Prescription Writing chapter and two appendices on drug prescribing cover both the medications that a patient may already be taking and drugs that a dentist may prescribe for treatment. - Nearly 50 expert contributors represent a diverse, authoritative panel of authors from many of the major dental schools. - NEW! Reorganized content is more concise, more relevant, and more visual, with a stronger focus on what you need to know for clinical practice. - NEW! Case studies at the beginning of chapters and case discussions at the end help you connect pharmacologic concepts and principles with clinical practice. - NEW summary tables and boxes provide quick reference to vital information, and include all-new tables on drug indications and mechanisms. - NEW! Full-color design and illustrations are added to this edition, enhancing realism and visual learning. - NEW companion website provides references linked to PubMed. - NEW! Bullet points list key information at the beginning of each chapter, highlighting need-to-know concepts.