A study of prophylactic antibiotic prescribing in National Health Service general dental practice in England

Abstract

The evidence from this study suggests that a significant number of the practitioners surveyed prescribe prophylactic antibiotics inappropriately, both for surgical procedures and for patients at risk from endocarditis. There is also evidence that practitioners prescribe antibiotic prophylaxis for clinical procedures and medical conditions for which there is little evidence. The results suggest that there is a need for the development of guidelines for practitioners on the appropriate prophylactic use of antibiotics.

Single-dose and multi-dose clindamycin therapy fails to demonstrate efficacy in preventing infectious and inflammatory complications in third molar surgery

“…Many practising oral surgeons administer antibiotic during the periprocedural period in order to prevent inflammatory complications 23,25 . A rationalization of protective antibiotic administration in such operations is evidently necessary.…”

Knowledge and antibiotics prescription pattern among Ugandan oral health care providers: a cross-sectional survey

“…This finding confirms previous reports. 17,25 The wrong indications are further complicated by anecdotal reports of infection after dental extractions. 26 It is also worth noting that although diabetes mellitus was taken as a correct answer very few respondents listed non-/poorly-controlled diabetes mellitus as their indication.…”

“…However, most reports 15,16,20,25,27,28 on antibiotic use in dentistry show amoxicillin or other penicillin-based drugs to be the most commonly used. This trend is based on the established efficacy of penicillin-based drugs on bacteria involved in odontogenic infections.…”

Dentistry and endocarditis

“…Still, recent surveys have shown frequent deviations from the AHA statement: overuse of prophylactic antibiotics by practitioners when there is no medical indication for them and underuse of them when there is an indication for them [39][40][41]. A frequent problem encountered by dentists is that patients are often unaware of their heart condition and whether antibiotic prophylaxis is indicated for them.…”