Exploring the pattern of antibiotic prescription by dentists: A questionnaire-based study

T Harsha Vardhan, N Vijaya Lakhshmi, B Haritha

Journal of Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences 2017 6(3):149-153

Introduction: Antibiotic overuse and misuse among dentists was found to be substantial. Exploration of scientific literature revealed very limited studies in India assessing the antibiotic prescription pattern among dentists. Antibiotics are one among the most commonly prescribed drugs by dentists for prophylactic and therapeutic management of oro-dental infections. Increasing inappropriate use of antibiotics has helped the bacteria to armor themselves and develop "Antibiotic Resistance." Antibiotic resistance is an emerging global menace haunting all fields of the medical fraternity. All dentists should have to take moral responsibility to minimize and wisely use antibiotics. Aim: To know the prescription pattern of antibiotics for various dental procedures by dental practitioners. Objective: For treating in a better way to prevent antibiotic resistance. Materials and Methods: A self-administered, 12-item close-ended questionnaire was used. Questionnaire consisted of questions pertaining to knowledge, attitude, and practice of dental health care professionals before prescribing antibiotics. Associations were found out via the Chi-square test with P value kept as P ≤ 0.05. Results: With a response rate of 69.76%, medical representatives, patients' preference, fear of losing patients, and fear of spread of infections can potentially "influence" a dentist's capability to prescribe antibiotics. Conclusion: The dental profession as a whole needs to acquire a deeper understanding of the global effects of superfluous antibiotic prescription. Antibiotics, when judiciously used, are precise life-saving drugs. Proper knowledge about the prescription of antibiotics is the need of the hour. As a nation, we must respond to this growing problem so that antibiotics misuse can be stopped.

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