Course Overview

Dentists are legally permitted to prescribe a wide range of medicines, even though few universities provide structured education to dental students on prescribing, let alone in the specific area of paediatrics. This one-day course is therefore useful for any dentist who prescribes or recommends medicines for treatment of children up to the age of 12 years.  

A general overview of the prescribing process and the skills involved will be presented followed by an update on prescribing regulations, drug scheduling, off-label prescribing, medication safety and e-scripts.  This will be followed by an overview of general paediatric prescribing, including history-taking, drug selection, the importance of formulation, dosing calculations based on age Vs weight, which resources to consult, pros and cons of textbooks Vs guidelines Vs apps.  

Consideration will be given to overweight and underweight children, those with special needs, chronic disease and comorbidities. Examples of how children experience adverse drug reactions differently from adults will also be given. Special attention will be given to the drugs most frequently prescribed for paediatric dental patients particularly antibiotics and pain relief with reference to the new recommendations in Therapeutic Guidelines- Oral and Dental v4. Each session will be followed by case studies illustrating the key issues mentored by the expert speakers. 

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to: 

• Describe the FOUR steps of the prescribing process and the skills required to fulfill them. 
• Understand the influence of young age on the effects of medicines, as well as drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion.  
• Explain how to accurately choose the right medicines, calculate doses and select appropriate formulations for children and communicate this on a prescription in the dental context. 
• Implement medication safety strategies to prevent prescribing errors. 
• Communicate the most appropriate resources that support prescribing for paediatric dental patients.

Presenter/s biography 

Adj. Associate Professor Geraldine Moses AM

Dr Geraldine Moses is a clinical pharmacist specialised in Medicines Information who provides the national advisory service called Pharma-Advice to members of the Australian Dental Association. She holds the position of Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Pharmacy, University of Queensland and teaches post-graduate courses for the Dental School at University of Sydney. She also consults to other organisations such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, NPS MedicineWise and the New Zealand Dental Association. She was a member of the expert writing group for the most recent edition of Therapeutic Guidelines- Oral and Dental. In 2019, she was honoured to be recognised in the Australia Day Awards as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her significant service to medicine and the community as a pharmacist, through her advisory and educational roles.

 Dr Melissa Warren

Melissa is a registered specialist in Paediatric Dentistry, having obtained her Doctorate in Clinical Dentistry (Paediatric Dentistry) and Bachelor of Dental Surgery with Honours, from the University of Sydney. 

Melissa has been the recipient of numerous awards from the University of Sydney,  including the Sydney Scholarship, the W Alan Grainger Memorial Prize, the HJV Cusack Memorial Prize and the Dentsply Prize for Postgraduate Research. 

Melissa is a Staff Specialist at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, where she is involved in the multi-disciplinary management of children with complex medical needs. Her interests are in public health, dental trauma, dentistry for children with complex medical needs, and behaviour management for anxious children.  

Melissa is a conjoint lecturer at The University of Sydney, The University of New South Wales and Charles Sturt University, where she is involved in the teaching of dental and medical students, and postgraduate doctors in the Sydney Child Health Program.  

Melissa has always enjoyed volunteering her time both at home and abroad, with organisations such as the Angkor Hospital for Children in Cambodia, Special Olympics Australia and Lifeline. Melissa is a Fellow of the International College of Dentists, in recognition of her service to the profession and community.

Event Pricing

ADA Member Dentist - $670
Non-Member Dentist - $940

CPD Points

6.25 Scientific hours

By registering for this course, you agree to the events terms and conditions outlined on the ADAQ website.