Psychotropic drugs and their impact on the treatment of paediatric dental patients.

In the past 10-15 years, the diagnosis of mental diseases in the paediatric and adolescent population has risen significantly. This has resulted in paediatric dentists caring for a large number of children suffering from these conditions. For the safe care of these children, paediatric dentists need to be aware of not only the characteristics of mental diseases but also the medications used for their treatment. Becoming familiar with the plethora of psychoactive agents and their complex pharmacological properties and interactions poses a daunting but necessary challenge as they are likely to influence dental treatment. To help with this understanding, the present paper provides a comprehensive but simplified review of the major paediatric psychotropic drugs in terms of basic pharmacology, common indications, general and oral health-related adverse effects and interactions with other medications which may be prescribed in the course of dental treatment.