A seminar on disclosing agents- Dental practice.

1. Prepared by-
Shilpa Sasikumar

2. 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.  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-
 Theyhelp 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. To stain the plaque,solutions of
disclosing agents may be used as
follows.
 Painting the teeth with a cotton swab.
 Rinsing the mouth.
 Astablets or wafers to be chewed
dissolving it in the saliva.The mouth
should then be rinsed with water.

9.  Genetically determined abnormality to a
chemical.
 Typeof reaction is restricted to individuals
with a particular genotype.
 Certainbizarre drug effects due to
peculiarities of an individual are included
among idisyncratic reactions.

10.  Barbituratescause 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.  Appearance of characteristic toxic effects of
a drug in an individual at therapeutic doses.
 Converseof 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. A single doe of triflupromazine induces
muscular dystonias in some
individuals,specially children.
 Onlyfew doses of crabamazepine may cause
ataxia in some people.
 One tablet of chloroquine may cause
vomiting and abdominal pain in occasional
patient.