Assessment of Prescription Patterns and Appropriateness of Antibiotics for Prophylaxis in Dental Procedures: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

There is a lack of data on dentists’ prescribing behaviors when it comes to the correct use of antibiotics in dental treatments. Antibiotic prescriptions made by dentists were analyzed from a diagnostic perspective in a countrywide study. This study retrospectively examined national health data from January 2018 through August 2019, collected through the Prescription Information System. The analysis only included prescriptions for a single illness and at least one systemic antibiotic. Antibiotic prescribing practices and the role of dental specialization and diagnosis were studied. A total of 9,214,956 prescriptions out of 9,293,410 matched the criteria for inclusion. An average course of antibiotic treatment consists of 1.01 pills. Antibiotics were prescribed most frequently for dental caries (16.2% of cases), dental examinations (20.7% of cases), and periapical abscess without sinuses (28.1% of cases). Antibiotics were prescribed for 96.6% of patients for illogical or confusing reasons, whereas just 3.4% were given based on a single, unambiguous diagnosis, such as cellulitis or a mouth abscess. The most commonly prescribed treatment for any medical issue was amoxicillin combined with an enzyme inhibitor (58.6%). Compared to unidentified dental practitioners (58.2%; p = 0.0001), dental specialists in Groups A and B significantly overprescribed amoxicillin plus an enzyme inhibitor (67.0 and 67.8%, respectively; p = 0.0001) (data not shown). The results of the study suggest that dentists routinely and arbitrarily prescribe antibiotics with questionable rationale in the contexts studied. These results emphasize the need for dentists to begin prescribing antibiotics more deliberately and evidence-based. Educational programs, awareness campaigns, and antibiotic stewardship programmes are just some of the interventions that may be implemented to improve prescribing practices and ensure the correct use of antibiotics in dental operations. The results of this countrywide study highlight problems with dentists’ procedures for prescribing dental antibiotics. The paper states that dentists should base their prescription practices on sound reasoning and empirical data. Dentists can help with global efforts to lower antibiotic resistance and improve patient care if they prescribe them in a more reasonable and responsible manner.