Assessment of Antibiotic Prescription Patterns amongst Dental Practioners: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The most common prescribed medicines by dentists are the antibiotics along with analgesics. Antibiotics are a safe drug that only attacks microbes, and there is no direct effect on the host. Patients seeking dentists for treatment of endodontic infections often expect an antibiotic prescription, and it is often seen that there is an increasing habit of prescribing antibiotics which is totally inappropriate. Materials and Methods: The study consisted of registered dental practtioners selected from six different private dental institutions in Karachi. They included graduates and post-graduates. A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed, out of them 350 filled questionnaires were returned, so a total of 350 remained for analysis. The collected data were analyzed by using Chi-square test SPSS 19 version. Results: The data collected from the questionnaires were analyzed which showed that male respondents were 133 and 217 female respondents. The most frequent antibiotic prescribed was augmentin 92.3% (625 mg for 7 days) followed by metronidazole 92%, amoxicillin 84.1%, vibramycin 61%, cefalaxin 37.1% and clindamycin 36%. Respondents with post-graduate degree were the most frequent found in prescribing antibiotics in pulpitis (100%) whereas 65% of respondents with BDS degree prescribed antibiotics in pulpitis. Conclusion: The current study concludes that there is a lack of prescribing antibiotics in endodontic infections amongst dentists working in teaching institutes.