Interações medicamentosas: fitoterápicos utilizados na odontologia e fármacos de uso contínuo dos pacientes

Abstract

Drug interactions: herbal medicines used in dentistry and drugs for continuous use by patients. Phytotherapy is characterized as the therapeutic practice that uses medicinal plants in its various pharmaceutical elaborations, with curative purpose, and has been present in our culture since the beginning. The use of phytotherapics in dentistry presents a wide range of alternatives substances that act on the affections/diseases that affect the oral cavity, thus providing a therapeutic option. The objective of this work is to present plant-drug interactions through a bibliographic survey in Scielo, Google Academic and books databases, thus contributing to clinical practice. Some phytotherapics such as Allium sativum (Garlic), Uncaria tomentosa Linn (Cat's claw), Matricaria camomila L (Camomile), Cymbopogon citratus (Holy grass) and Valeriana officinalis (Valeriana) present important use in dentistry, such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal and sedative. However, the scientific literature reports several interactions between these plants and medications, which at different levels of severity may compromise the health of patients, such as potentiation of central nervous system depression caused by benzodiazepines and antidepressants and NSAID bleeding. The knowledge of these interactions is fundamental so that the dentist can perform the treatment of patients with the rational use of medicines and phytotherapics.