IADR Abstract Archives
Antibiotic Prescribing In Endodontic Therapies: A Cross-Sectional Study
Objectives: Aim: Evaluate and compare the view of general practitioners (GP) and dentistry undergraduate (UGRAD) on the prescription of antibiotics for pulpal and periapical pathologies.
Methods: Methods: an electronic questionnaire recorded general information about the participants, their clinical experiences, their knowledge about the guidelines available for prescribing antibiotics for endodontic therapies. Furthermore, six hypothetical clinical scenarios were presented to the volunteers to prescribe or not antibiotics.
Results: Results: 443 volunteers responded to the questionnaire. 84.2% attend endodontic emergencies in their daily practice, 85.1% declared to prescribe antibiotics only for a limited number of selected patients, however 5.4% listed the prescription of antibiotics in cases of symptomatic reversible pulpitis. Most of volunteers (77.7%) reported not knowing the current guidelines for prescribing antibiotics, however 92.8% are aware of the consequences of its indiscriminate use, citing, mainly, bacterial resistance. Two of the six clinical cases presented had no statistically significant difference between the responses of the GP and UGRAD (p> 0.05), however in one question, approximately half of the total participants answered incorrectly and fortunately in the other 62.3% answered correctly. In three cases, the GP and UGRAD did not agree on the therapies used, two of which were more favorable to the GP (p <0.05) and only one for the UGRAD (p <0.05). Finally, in one case presented, the majority of the total respondents responded inappropriately, but among those who answered correctly the majority were GP (p <0.05).
Conclusions: Conclusion: in general, the GP and UGRAD have knowledge about the prescription of antibiotics, but a lack of knowledge was detected about the current guidelines and conducts used, causing errors in the hypothetical cases presented.
Methods: Methods: an electronic questionnaire recorded general information about the participants, their clinical experiences, their knowledge about the guidelines available for prescribing antibiotics for endodontic therapies. Furthermore, six hypothetical clinical scenarios were presented to the volunteers to prescribe or not antibiotics.
Results: Results: 443 volunteers responded to the questionnaire. 84.2% attend endodontic emergencies in their daily practice, 85.1% declared to prescribe antibiotics only for a limited number of selected patients, however 5.4% listed the prescription of antibiotics in cases of symptomatic reversible pulpitis. Most of volunteers (77.7%) reported not knowing the current guidelines for prescribing antibiotics, however 92.8% are aware of the consequences of its indiscriminate use, citing, mainly, bacterial resistance. Two of the six clinical cases presented had no statistically significant difference between the responses of the GP and UGRAD (p> 0.05), however in one question, approximately half of the total participants answered incorrectly and fortunately in the other 62.3% answered correctly. In three cases, the GP and UGRAD did not agree on the therapies used, two of which were more favorable to the GP (p <0.05) and only one for the UGRAD (p <0.05). Finally, in one case presented, the majority of the total respondents responded inappropriately, but among those who answered correctly the majority were GP (p <0.05).
Conclusions: Conclusion: in general, the GP and UGRAD have knowledge about the prescription of antibiotics, but a lack of knowledge was detected about the current guidelines and conducts used, causing errors in the hypothetical cases presented.