Disclosing agents

A seminar on disclosing agents- Dental practice.

1. DISCLOSING AGENTS Prepared by- Shilpa Sasikumar

2. INTRODUCTION Dental plaques are relatively invisible. Certain agents(dyes) may be used to make the supragingival plaques visible and such agents are called disclosing agents.

3. Dyes used as disclosing agents: ERYTHROSIN: Erythrosin tablets are dissolved into a solution or chewed to dissolve in the mouth. It stains the plaque area red but also may stain soft tissues. It is the most widely used disclosing agent.

4. FLUORESCEIN DYE : On application,fluorescein dye stains the plaque yellow. It does not stain the soft tissues. But special light is required to see the stained plaque. It is more expensive.

5. TWO TONE DYES : A solution containing a combination of two dyes is used. Mature plaques are stained blue,while new plaques are stained red.

6. ADVANTAGES- They help to differentiate mature and immature plaques. They do not stain the gingival tissues.

7. IODINE CONTAINING SOLUTIONS : They have been used as disclosing agents but have the disadvantage of causing a high incidence of allergic reactions. Also have unacceptable taste.,hence not preferred.

8. METHODS OF APPLICATION To stain the plaque,solutions of disclosing agents may be used as follows. Painting the teeth with a cotton swab. Rinsing the mouth. As tablets or wafers to be chewed dissolving it in the saliva.The mouth should then be rinsed with water.

9. IDIOSYNCRASY Genetically determined abnormality to a chemical. Type of reaction is restricted to individuals with a particular genotype. Certain bizarre drug effects due to peculiarities of an individual are included among idisyncratic reactions.

10. examples Barbiturates cause excitement and mental confusion in some individuals. Quinine/ quinidine cause cramps,diarrhoea,purpura,asthma and vascular collapse in some patients. Chloramphenicol produces nondose -related serious aplastic anaemia in rare individuals.

11. intolerance Appearance of characteristic toxic effects of a drug in an individual at therapeutic doses. Converse of tolerance and indicates a low threshold of the individual to the action of drug. These are individuals who fall on the extreme left side of Gaussian frequency distribution curve for sensitivity to the drug.

12. examples A single doe of triflupromazine induces muscular dystonias in some individuals,specially children. Only few doses of crabamazepine may cause ataxia in some people. One tablet of chloroquine may cause vomiting and abdominal pain in occasional patient.