Preforming a thorough medical history examination is crucial for dental hygienist because we want to assure we are providing sufficient care for patients. To do this it is important to go through any medical conditions that may or may not be present and they best way to thoroughly do so is by using a comprehensive sheet provided on the floor. Next it is important to establish any medications that the patient is taking while also using resources provided to indicate any concerns the dental hygienist may need to be concerned about.

Prior to looking up Lexicomp I would not have known much about medications that most of my patients are taking. Many of the medications I see in clinic are medications that cause xerostomia. Although there have been several cases of patients with other medications that caused more severe symptoms where you would need to know some of the side effects before treatment. Before looking up my personal patient in clinic I would have never known the side effects of Fosamax. This medication causes osteonecrosis of the jaw specifically with local infection and/or a tooth extraction. Symptoms are mainly associated with an extraction socket that is not healing. In the case study it was also explained that the patient takes Actonel which is a drug very similar to Fosamax in which it causes osteonecrosis of the jaw. This is important to know for both my clinic patient and the case study patient because both had a tooth pulled in recent years. So if they are taking those drugs during that time their extraction socket may not have healed properly. Another drug I learned more about after looking up this medication due to the case study Clindamycin. This drug is known to cause muscle weakness and myopathy. This can lead to patients having a difficult time cleaning their teeth or chewing foods. This would be important to know because if it may cause patients to have a difficult time brushing their teeth they most likely do not have the best oral health so I could prepare for them a more manageable way to brush and care for their oral health. Throughout clinic I will begin to incorporate Lexicomp into every appointment to ensure that I am giving the best care to my patients.

As I reflect back on my knowledge from the beginning of the semester I come to the realization that I had not been incorporating Lexicomp as much as I should have. As the semester went on I made it one of my top priorities to use Lexicomp before each appointment so that I would have the knowledge on the medication before the patient would arrive. This allowed me to gain more information as to what the medications may be being used for as well as any concerns that I should have as a dental professional. For example, a patient taking warfarin it is extremely necessary to ensure that the patient knows their INR. I also realized how important it is to do a thorough job going through the medical history because many patients may feel that something they are taking or experiencing is not important but for us as health care providers every thing is necessary to note.