Our aim is to contribute to the rational use of antibiotics prescribed by family doctors when a patient consults for a dental problem. Nowadays we should not ask which antibiotic to give. The question has to be if we need to prescribe antibiotics in front of the most common odontogenic infections seen in our practice. We review the main dental infections, which should be their appropriate management and the role of prevention. We need to know the complexity of the oral microbiome because it?ll depend on the appropriateness of the antibiotherapy, the evolution towards cure or progression of some odontogenic infections. The bacterial plaque, formed by the biofilm, behaves as a barrier to the action of antimicrobials. It?s in the prevention of its development as well as in it mechanical elimination once shaped, in what the family doctor should insist. We must transmit antibiotics don?t heal dental pain.

Odontogenic infections account for 10% of all antibiotic prescriptions in Spain. Despite the frequency and importance of these infections, there is often confusion between prophylaxis and treatment. The oral cavity is a complex ecosystem made up of over 500 bacterial species. It is essential to take the medical history, examine each infection, and know about previous illnesses that could change our therapeutic and/or prophylactic attitude. The use of prophylaxis with antibiotics in patients at risk of infective endocarditis has been accepted for many years. Nowadays this is being restricted, and in many cases the risks of taking preventive antibiotics outweigh its benefits. There are no serious studies to determine the best antibiotic and its dosage, thus the Spanish consensus guidelines have to be followed. It is not known how the misuse of antibiotics influences bacterial resistance, not only on pathogen strains, but also on the common oral flora.

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