Liberal Use of Antibiotics in Dentistry

Abstract

Ever since the emergence of dentistry, there has been wide use of antibiotics seen. It is prescribed for both treatment as well as for prophylactic purposes. Antibiotics popularly prescribed in dental clinic are “Penicillin” and “Amoxicillin”. For patients who are allergic to these drugs or can’t tolerate due to some reason “Clindamycin” is prescribed which is stronger and known for treating much broader range of infections. Approximately around 10% of the antibiotic prescriptions are for dental related problems. 50% of the cases are those where the patient actually requires the drug to treat his or condition whereas the other 50% of the patients are victims of unnecessary prescriptions. There is increase in prescriptions of antibiotics unnecessarily by dentists and also for wrong clinical indications. Frequent and misuse of antibiotics can lead to “Antibiotic Resistance” which is “Global Health Crises”. Antibiotic resistance develops with repeated consumption of the drugs without any concern, with time microbes evolve and that protect themselves from the action of antimicrobials. This study is based on three objectives. The first objective is to understand the indications and prescribing pattern of antibiotics in dental clinic for both therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. The second objective is to analyze the risks associated with antibiotic resistance. The third objective focuses on the recommendations to improve and standardize the antibiotic prescribing behavior, as it will help in curbing the incidence of side effects associated with antibiotics and antibiotic resistance. Study is based on global health perspective.