Individualizing Care For Pregnant and Lactating Patients

By Kathy Bassett, RDH, MEd

Planning safe individualized care for pregnant and lactating patients requires up-to-date knowledge of current guidance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on drug precautions and contraindication. To reduce risks associated with drugs administered for dental treatment, dental hygienists share in the responsibility to identify and discuss these implications with patients as they relate to planned treatment, including the appropriate integration of local anesthetics into patient care. To do this, oral health professionals traditionally referenced the long-standing “FDA Pregnancy and Lactation Drug Categories” in use since 1979. This reference, however, is no longer available.

* References can be found in the original article via the link below.
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