Paediatric antibiotic prescribing by general dental practitioners in England

Abstract

The results of this study show that some practitioners prescribe liquid-based antibiotics inappropriately for children. This may contribute to the problem of antimicrobial resistance. Clear guidelines on the choice of antibiotic, dose, frequency and duration along with educational initiatives for GDPs might reverse this trend.

Approaches taken to the treatment of young children with carious primary teeth: a national cross-sectional survey of general dental practitioners and paediatric specialists in England

“…This lack of consensus for provid ing effective and immediate care to ensure a young child is relieved of pain is a major cause for concern and has been com mented upon by previous studies. 11,12 However, there was agree ment that doing nothing immediately and referring the child for extraction under general anaesthesia was not appropriate.…”

The role of phenoxymethylpenicillin, amoxicillin, metronidazole and clindamycin in the management of acute dentoalveolar abscesses – a review

“…4 Studies in the United Kingdom have consistently shown that there is widespread variation in the prescribing habits of GDPs, with many prescribing inappropriately, with inconsistent dose and frequency and often for prolonged periods. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10] This was also shown to be the case when patients sought advice and treatment from their general medical practitioners. 11 In a UK dental survey carried out by a major pharmaceutical company 12 looking at the factors infl uencing frequency and type of regularly prescribed antibiotic, 75% of dentists gave antibiotics at least once a week with over 15% of those dentists prescribing them on a daily basis.…”

“…[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] The defi nitive treatment of a dentoalveolar abscess is drainage and removal of the cause of the infection. 14,17,18,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] In the majority of cases this is the only treatment required.…”

An Analysis of Therapeutic, Adult Antibiotic Prescriptions Issued by Dental Practitioners in Jordan

“…The inappropriate use of antibiotics has contributed to the worldwide problem of antibiotic resistance [1,4] .…”

“…Other problems include toxicity, allergic reactions and other side effects [4] . Superinfection with resistant bacteria may also result [5] .…”