title: Antibiotic susceptibility of the bacteria causing odontogenic infections.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  An evaluation is made of bacterial species and susceptibility to various antibiotics used in application to odontogenic infections of periapical location and in pericoronitis of the lower third molar, with the aim of optimizing the antibiotherapy of such infections and thus preventing unnecessary side effects and over-treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-four patients with odontogenic infection were selected on the basis of a series of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Samples were collected from lesions under maximally aseptic conditions, avoiding oral saprophytic contamination. The samples were cultured and incubated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, followed by bacteriological identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 184 bacterial strains were isolated and identified, comprising grampositive facultative anaerobes (68%), gramnegative strict anaerobes (30%) and grampositive facultative anaerobes (2%). Regardless of the origin of the odontogenic infection, the causal bacteria yielded the best results in terms of increased sensitivity and lesser resistance with amoxicillin / clavulanate and amoxicillin, respectively (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are increasingly numerous reports in the literature of growing bacterial resistance to antibiotics in infectious processes affecting non-buccodental territories. This same tendency has not been observed in relation to oral infections, though important resistance has been documented for certain concrete antibiotics. According to our results, the common-use antibiotics with the greatest sensitivity and lowest resistance were shown to be amoxicillin/clavulanate followed by amoxicillin alone.
authors.affiliation: Barcelona University Dental School, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brescó-Salinas
authors.forename: Noelia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Costa-Riu
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Berini-Aytés
authors.forename: Cosme
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gay-Escoda
mesh_terms: D000081:Acetamides / Q000494:pharmacology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000658:Amoxicillin / Q000494:pharmacology; D019980:Amoxicillin-Potassium Clavulanate Combination / Q000494:pharmacology; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000187:drug effects*; D002981:Clindamycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D005491:Focal Infection, Dental / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D000069349:Linezolid; D008297:Male; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D008964:Molar, Third; D023303:Oxazolidinones / Q000494:pharmacology; D010485:Periapical Periodontitis / Q000382:microbiology; D010497:Pericoronitis / Q000382:microbiology; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000081:Acetamides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D023303:Oxazolidinones; D008795:Metronidazole; D002981:Clindamycin; D019980:Amoxicillin-Potassium Clavulanate Combination; D000658:Amoxicillin; D013752:Tetracycline; D000069349:Linezolid