title: Antibiotic overusage and resistance: A cross-sectional survey among pediatric dentists.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most human orofacial infections originate from odontogenic infections and prescribing antibiotics has become a ubiquitous phenomenon. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized the inappropriate, indiscriminate, and irrational use of antibiotics leading to antibiotic resistance as a global problem.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this survey is to compare the antibiotic prescription pattern and the awareness of antibiotic resistance among Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) practitioners and pediatric dentists.
  
  
  METHODS
  A hundred BDS practitioners and 100 pediatric dentists included in the study were given a questionnaire containing both open-ended and closed-ended questions. The questionnaire comprised information pertaining to antibiotic prescription for most common oral conditions, commonly prescribed antibiotics, their dosage, etc.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of the practitioners prescribed antibiotics for managing oral diseases. On comparing the prescription patterns between the BDS practitioners and pediatric dentists, there was an overprescription in the BDS group for many conditions, which was statistically significant. Amoxicillin was the most commonly prescribed drug in both the groups. In the presence of an anaerobic infection, the most preferred drug was a combination of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid with metronidazole. With regard to the duration of antibiotic prescription, 74% BDS practitioners prescribed antibiotics as a 3-day course and 60% pediatric dentists resorted to a 5-day course, which was statistically significant. The awareness regarding antibiotic prophylaxis and antibiotic resistance was found to be adequate in both the groups. However, there was a general lack of awareness with regard to the guidelines for antibiotic prescribing in both the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Practitioners should prescribe antibiotics in accordance with the guidelines to curb antibiotic resistance, an emerging public health problem.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, AECS Maaruti College of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Sapna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Konde
authors.forename: Lalitha S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Jairam
authors.forename: Preetha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Peethambar
authors.forename: Sunil Raj
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Noojady
authors.forename: Narayan Chandra
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis; D001364:Awareness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003815:Dentists; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents