Antibiotic Stewardship in Dentistry: Evaluating the Impact of Outpatient Antibiotic Prophylaxis in a Tertiary Care Hospital Setting

Aim. To assess the antibiotic prophylaxis in the prescriptions of the patients attending the Dental Outpatient department in a Tertiary care hospital. Background. Antibiotics are most commonly used in outpatient setting when compared to inpatient setting in dental department. American Dental Association guidelines for antibiotic use for dental infections plays an important role in reducing prescribing for common conditions in dentistry. As there is no proper evidence regarding efficient use of antibiotic prophylaxis in dentistry, this study is aimed to address the prophylactic use of appropriate antibiotics among the outpatients in dental department. Methods. This Retrospective Observational study was conducted in the dental outpatient department in a tertiary care hospital for a month. The data regarding the Antibiotic prophylaxis along with underlying cardiac conditions were collected from records of the patients prescription and analysed using Simple statistics. Results. A total of 150 prescriptions (Male = 78 & Female = 72) are collected. Mean age was found to be 45.8 years (0 - 90). Most dental diagnosis are Scaling, Tooth extraction, Dental caries, Luting, Filling, Splint placing, Impacted tooth, Dental Abscess and Other Procedures. 88 prescriptions were found to have Antibiotic prophylaxis, where Amoxicillin is the most prescribed antibiotic. 2 days is the mostly prescribed duration of Antibiotic therapy. 13 Prescriptions had patients with underlying cardiac conditions who were prescribed with antibiotics prophylaxis. Conclusion. The antibiotic prescribing pattern in Dental outpatient department was assessed and it was found that 85% of patients were prescribed with antibiotics other than patients with underlying cardiac conditions. Keywords: Antibiotics, Antimicrobial stewardship, Prophylaxis, Prescribing patterns, Dental, Outpatients.