Knowledge levels of graduate and trainee dentists on antibiotic use in endodontics

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare and evaluate the level of knowledge of dentists and dental students about the rational use of antibiotics (RUA), their clinical approaches when prescribing antibiotics, and student and graduate dentists.
 Introduction: Rational use of medicines means that patients take their medicines according to their clinical needs, in appropriate doses, for sufficient time, and at the lowest cost to themselves and society. The RUA is very important in the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections.
 Materials and Methods: The questionnaire, which was prepared on Google Forms for all graduate and trainee dentists in Turkey that we could reach and included questions about RUA and antibiotic use in dentists, was distributed to approximately 400 people, and 331 people returned the questionnaire.
 Results: Of the respondents, 52.3% were dental students, and the remaining 47.7% were dental graduates. 94.8% of the participants reported that they received information about RUA from the faculty, followed by scientific publications, the internet and social media, the Ministry of Health, relatives, spouses, and friends, professional associations, and newspapers. The majority of participants, 303 people, answered the question, 'Can inappropriate use of antibiotics increase antimicrobial resistance? The majority of participants answered yes, while the remaining 18 answered no. The majority of participants, 62.1%, thought that antibiotics were prescribed more than necessary. Only 35% of participants (110 people) correctly answered the question about antibiotics that are not suitable for use during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
 Conclusion: According to the results of our study, dentists have an important role to play in ensuring the RUA. Dentists should be regularly trained with updated curricula.