Basic and Applied Biomedical Sciences
Basic and Applied Biomedical Sciences underpins every clinical decision on the Jordan Dental Exam. Questions test structure–function links across anatomy, histology, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, pathology and pharmacology rather than isolated facts.
High-yield core
- Trigeminal nerve: V1 ophthalmic, V2 maxillary, V3 mandibular. V3 carries motor fibers to muscles of mastication. The mylohyoid nerve branches from the inferior alveolar nerve before it enters the mandibular foramen and supplies the mylohyoid and anterior digastric.
- Cranial nerve VII supplies facial expression and taste from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue via the chorda tympani.
- Collagen synthesis needs vitamin C for hydroxylation of proline and lysine; deficiency causes bleeding gums and poor wound healing.
- Inflammation: vasodilation, increased permeability, neutrophil first, then macrophage.
- Local anesthetics are weak bases. The uncharged form crosses the nerve membrane; the charged form blocks the sodium channel from inside.
Worked example
A mandibular molar is painful and inflamed. Lidocaine has pKa 7.9. At tissue pH 7.4 the uncharged fraction is about 24%; in acidic inflamed tissue at pH 6.8 it falls below 10%. Less drug crosses the membrane, so anesthesia is weaker and slower. Reasoning: lower pH increases ionization, not potency.
Traps
Do not assume routine antibiotic prophylaxis for all prosthetic joints or mitral valve prolapse; current guidance restricts prophylaxis to specific high-risk cardiac conditions. Do not confuse afferent and efferent limbs of cranial nerve reflexes. Do not apply adult drug doses directly to children.