Pharmacotherapy in the geriatric population.

The geriatric population constitutes the largest group of consumers of medications in this country. Changes in the pharmacokinetic response to medications of this population are less predictable than in younger age groups, thereby resulting in adverse reactions and drug interactions in multidrug users. Dentists need to be aware of these changes as well as alterations in therapeutic responses to the medications most commonly used in dental treatment: sedatives, local anesthetics, analgesics, and antibiotics.