Pharmacology for NEET MDS made simple

Pharmacology is one of the toughest yet high-yielding subjects in NEET MDS. It is also the most feared topic, as it is highly volatile and vague.The good news? You don’t need to remember everything. You need to remember the right drugs , the ones that are repeatedly asked, clinically relevant, and lifesaving in dental practice.

Local Anesthesia

Local anesthesia is among the most frequently asked topics in dental pharmacology topic of NEET MDS

Key drugs:

• Lidocaine – Gold standard local anesthetic

• Articaine – Better bone penetration

• Bupivacaine – Long duration, higher cardiotoxicity

Must remember points:

• Lidocaine is safe in pregnancy (Category B)

• Maximum dose of lidocaine with adrenaline: 7 mg/kg

• Toxicity sequence: CNS excitation → seizures → CNS depression → cardiovascular collapse

Analgesics

Patients usually visit debtal clinics mainly for pain control and management

• Ibuprofen - Drug of choice for dental pain

• Diclofenac - Strong analgesic, GI side effects

• Tramadol - Moderate pain, CNS effects

Must remember points:

• NSAIDs inhibit COX enzyme

• Avoid NSAIDs in late pregnancy

Antibiotics

• Amoxixillin - First line odontogenic infections

• Amoxicillin + Clavulanic acid - Betalactamase resistant

• Clindamycin - Drug of choice in penicillin allergy

• Metronidazole - Anaerobic infections

Must remember points:

• Metronidazole causes disulfiram like reactions

• Clindamycin - Risk of Pseudomembranous colitis

Emergency drugs

Every dentists must know these drugs to tackle real life emergencies.

• Adrenaline - Anaphylacis

• Nitroglycerin - Angina pectoris

• Hydrocortisone - Acute allergic reactions

• Diazepam - Status epileptics

• Salbutamol - Acute asthma attack