| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2012 | Volume
: 15
| Issue : 2 | Page : 151-155 |
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Are we eliminating cures with antibiotic abuse? A study among dentists
SR Goud1, L Nagesh2, S Fernandes3
1 Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, RKDF Dental College and Research Centre, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
2 Department of Community Dentistry, Bapuji Dental College and Hospital, Davangere, Karnataka, India
3 Department of Pedodontics, RKDF Dental College and Research Centre, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
Correspondence Address:
S R Goud
Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, RKDF Dental College and Research Centre, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh- 462 026
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/1119-3077.97291
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Context: The theme of "World Health Day 2011" is "combat drug resistance- No action today, No cure tomorrow" which is very pertinent. The present study emphatically demonstrates the current issues related to the overwhelming concerns regarding indiscriminate use of antibiotics, leading to a bleak tomorrow where cures may be few. Aim: To know the prescription pattern of antibiotics for various dental procedures by dental practitioners.
Materials and Methods: A pretested questionnaire was used which contained two sections pertaining to prescription of antibiotics for healthy and medically compromised patients during various dental procedures, with therapeutic and prophylactic considerations.
Results: Questionnaire response rate of 66.6% was observed. Amoxicillin emerged as the most preferred antibiotic for dental procedures both as a therapeutic and a prophylactic drug. 50% of the endodontists and 40% of the general dentists opted to prescribe antibiotics during root canal therapy where ideally operative intervention would have sufficed. Overuse of antibiotics for routine scaling and extraction was observed.
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. |
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