IADR Abstract Archives
Antibiotic prescribing practices at a dental school in South Africa.
Objectives: Introduction
Inappropriate prescribing and excessive use of broad spectrum antibiotics are leading contributors to antimicrobial resistance. Instances of this behaviour in dental practice occur where antibiotics are prescribed for non-indicated conditions. Antibiotic use in dental practice is generally characterised by empirical prescription involving the use of a narrow range of broad spectrum antibiotics for short periods of time. Very little is known about the antibiotic prescribing practices of dentists in South Africa - this has long been the subject of rumours and anecdote among clinicians at Medunsa Oral Health Centre, a dental school and referral hospital.
Objective
This study seeks to examine the antibiotic prescribing practices of dentists at Medunsa Oral Health Centre.
Design
This was a record based cross sectional descriptive study
Methods: Treatment records of patients who received antibiotics from the dispensary at Medunsa Oral Health Centre during March 2017 were reviewed. Data related to demographic characteristics, diagnosis and medication prescribed was extracted. The prescribing practices for diagnosed conditions were measured against guidelines in the latest edition of the Essential Medicines List and evidence in systemic reviews of the American Dental Association Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry.
Results: The rate of antibiotic prescribing was 14.3% (266/1857). Females constituted 55.6% of antibiotic recipients. The mean age of the patients was 32.2 years (SD 15.4).
A single antibiotic was prescribed for 85.3% of cases.
Amoxicillin 500mg, three times a day was prescribed frequently (91.3% of the patients).
Six patients (2.6%) received antibiotics for infective endocarditis prophylaxis.
Postoperative oral prophylactic antibiotic treatment following surgical removal of impacted teeth was routine and accounted for 32.3% of the prescriptions.
One in five (19.8%) patients received antibiotics after routine extractions.
The occurrence of inappropriate prescribing was observed in 3.5% of patients.
Conclusions: More than half (52.1%) of the total number of prescriptions were related to dental extractions.
Inappropriate prescribing and excessive use of broad spectrum antibiotics are leading contributors to antimicrobial resistance. Instances of this behaviour in dental practice occur where antibiotics are prescribed for non-indicated conditions. Antibiotic use in dental practice is generally characterised by empirical prescription involving the use of a narrow range of broad spectrum antibiotics for short periods of time. Very little is known about the antibiotic prescribing practices of dentists in South Africa - this has long been the subject of rumours and anecdote among clinicians at Medunsa Oral Health Centre, a dental school and referral hospital.
Objective
This study seeks to examine the antibiotic prescribing practices of dentists at Medunsa Oral Health Centre.
Design
This was a record based cross sectional descriptive study
Methods: Treatment records of patients who received antibiotics from the dispensary at Medunsa Oral Health Centre during March 2017 were reviewed. Data related to demographic characteristics, diagnosis and medication prescribed was extracted. The prescribing practices for diagnosed conditions were measured against guidelines in the latest edition of the Essential Medicines List and evidence in systemic reviews of the American Dental Association Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry.
Results: The rate of antibiotic prescribing was 14.3% (266/1857). Females constituted 55.6% of antibiotic recipients. The mean age of the patients was 32.2 years (SD 15.4).
A single antibiotic was prescribed for 85.3% of cases.
Amoxicillin 500mg, three times a day was prescribed frequently (91.3% of the patients).
Six patients (2.6%) received antibiotics for infective endocarditis prophylaxis.
Postoperative oral prophylactic antibiotic treatment following surgical removal of impacted teeth was routine and accounted for 32.3% of the prescriptions.
One in five (19.8%) patients received antibiotics after routine extractions.
The occurrence of inappropriate prescribing was observed in 3.5% of patients.
Conclusions: More than half (52.1%) of the total number of prescriptions were related to dental extractions.