The Medicines Act 1968 governs who can supply medicines in the U.K. The Act allows dentists to issue any medicine directly to a patient. However, this only applies if patients are receiving private treatment. The current NHS terms of service do not allow dentists to supply any medicines, other than those for immediate use before the issue of a prescription, directly to a patient receiving NHS treatment. A prescription must be supplied for ongoing treatment. If a dentist issues medicines directly to a patient, they must be labelled as a dispensed medicine as directed by the Medicines Act 1968 and the Medicines and for Human Use Regulations (1994).
Clinical relevance: Medicines are highly regulated and compliance with the law requires an understanding of the different laws governing medicines in relation to dentists.