Awareness on Usage of Skeletal Muscle Relaxants in Dental Practice Among Dental Students

A muscle relaxant is a drug that affects skeletal muscle function and decreases the muscle tone.it may be used to alleviate symptoms such as muscle spasm, pain, and hyperreflexia. Muscle relaxants in dentistry are often used in treating temporomandibular joint disorders.Temporomandibular disorders result from musculoskeletal dysfunction of the orofacial region affecting masticatory muscles, temporomandibular joints, and associated structures. The aim of the study is to Evaluate awareness on usuage of skeletal muscle relaxants in dental practise among dental students. A set of questionnaire was framed and online survey was conducted among 100 dental students. The answers given by dental students were collected and the use of skeletal muscle relaxants in dental practise was determined. And the results were statistically analysed. The results showed that many dental students were not aware of proper usage of SMRs in the field of dentistry. Baclofen was the most common skeletal muscle relaxant prescribed and the common reason for prescription of skeletal muscle relaxant was TMJ disorder. It is concluded that it is important to create awareness on usage of skeletal muscle relaxants which includes the dosage, methods of administration, advantages and disadvantages.