Abstract
In this study, we aimed to explore the trends among dentists in the Dominican Republic of providing antibiotic prescriptions to pregnant/breastfeeding dental patients. A survey was conducted among 98 dentists, using a self-administered questionnaire, about their knowledge and attitudes regarding antibiotic usage in pregnant/lactating women and the translation of these into practice. The majority of the survey population were female dentists (63.3%) aged 45–54 years. A chi-square test showed statistically significant differences in the knowledge sources between older and younger dentists, with a minority having chosen scientific literature as a source (p-value of 0.04). There were statistically significant associations between gender and certain attitudes and practice-based questions, with p-values of 0.04 and 0.01, respectively. The Spearman’s correlation test showed a statistically significant correlation between knowledge and attitude (p-value 0.001), whereas no correlation was found with practice (p-value 0.23). A multiple response analysis showed that the majority of the respondents chose the second and third trimester for antibiotic prescriptions for acute conditions such as cellulitis, periodontal abscess, and pericoronitis. Most dentists had sufficient knowledge about antibiotic usage in pregnant/lactating women, but it did not translate into practice, and a certain proportion of the participants followed incongruent drug prescription. These findings can be used to focus on judicious antibiotic usage by dentists in the Dominican Republic.
Highlights
Resistance to antimicrobial drugs poses a serious threat to human life and may result in detrimental economic and public health burdens [1]
The resistance is due to antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which can be found in bacterial communities existing in various environments as well as the human body
This study represents one of the few attempts in the existing literature to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of dental practitioners regarding providing antibiotic prescriptions to pregnant and breastfeeding women and the first survey to be conducted in the Dominican Republic
Summary
Resistance to antimicrobial drugs poses a serious threat to human life and may result in detrimental economic and public health burdens [1]. Antibiotic resistance can be due to the following: (i) bacterial mutation and subsequent selective adaptation of bacteria to sublethal exposure to drugs and (ii) spread of mobile genetic elements (e.g., plasmids and transposons) by the recombination process. The resistance is due to antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which can be found in bacterial communities existing in various environments (food, soil, and waterways) as well as the human body. These communities are known as microbiomes, and they consist of an ecosystem made of commensals, symbionts, and pathogenic microorganisms. ARGs, known as resistomes, can be found within this ecosystem [3]
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