Approach to the Current Rational Use of Antibiotics among the Albanian Dentist Community

Abstract

Rising antibiotic use is a serious threat to the success of therapy in dentistry for bacterial resistance and side effects to the patients. The dentist community in Albania prescribing too many antibiotics. This survey assesses the mode of antibiotic use among Albanian dentists, with appropriate dosage and regimen, and antibiotic stewardship and their knowledge of relevant guidelines. Material and Methods: This survey study was conducted among 180 Albanian dentists. The questionnaire was distributed through e-mail addresses found in the database of the Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Medicine of Tirana. We assessed 180 dentists out of which 154 (85.56%) completed the entire questionnaire. Results: There were 24,870 prescriptions in adult patients from 154 dentists for a period of six months with an average of 1,243 prescriptions per week. The most used antibiotics were fixed combinations of amoxicillin–clavulanic acid (67.43%) and azithromycin (39.3%) for allergic patients to beta-lactams. The results for antibiotic stewardship were incorrect in 37.01% of total providers, and gastrointestinal disorders were reported as side effects. Conclusion: This survey conducted among Albanian dentists shows a different trend of using antibiotics than in other countries. To tackle the current antibiotic resistance, dentists must be an important part of the antimicrobial stewardship program of the Public Health Institution in Albania to change individual behavior.

How decisions are made: Antibiotic stewardship in dentistry

“…Other surveys have demonstrated opportunities for improvement in antibiotic prescribing decisions for endodontic patients, [11][12][13][14][15][16] patients undergoing dental implant placement, 17,18 emergency dental care, [19][20][21] and general dentistry. [22][23][24][25][26] Other conditions, such as use of systemic antibiotics prior to periodontic treatments, have shown considerable variability. Work is underway to standardize candidate outcome sets for dental antibiotic stewardship.…”

11-Year Trend in Antibiotic Consumption in a South-Eastern European Country; the Situation in Albania and the Implications for the Future

“…This is a concern in Albania, with Albania currently ranked 101 out of 180 countries in terms of perceptions of corruption [37]. There are also concerns regarding current knowledge of key stakeholder groups in Albania regarding antibiotics and AMR [38,39]. Alongside this, there are concerns regarding the current lack of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) activities in Albania to influence future utilization.…”