A study of therapeutic antibiotic prescribing in National Health Service general dental practice in England

Objective To study the therapeutic prescribing of antibiotics by general de ntal practitioners. Design A postal questionnaire of National Health Service general dental pra ctitioners in ten English Health Authorities. Subjects General dental practitioners (1,544) contracted to provide NHS tre atment in the Health Authorities of Liverpool, Wirral, Oxfordshire, Bucking hamshire, Nottingham, North Nottinghamshire, Sheffield, Newcastle, Northumb erland and North Tyneside. Main outcome measures The questionnaires were analysed and the responses to each question expressed as absolute frequencies. Results Responses to the questionnaire were received from 929 (60.1 %) prac titioners. More than 95 % of practitioners recognised the need for prescrib ing antibiotics where there was evidence of spreading infection. Some pract itioners (12.5 %) prescribed antibiotics for acute pulpitis and (3.3 %) for chronic marginal gingivitis. Antibiotics were prescribed by practitioners before drainage of acute abscesses (69 %) and by 23 % after drainage. Pract itioners were generally not influenced by patient's expectations of receivi ng antibiotics (92 %), but would prescribe when under pressure of time (30. 3 %), if they were unable to make a definitive diagnosis (47.3%), or if tre atment had to be delayed (72.5 %). Amoxicillin was the most frequently pres cribed antibiotic used for most clinical conditions apart from pericoroniti s, acute ulcerative gingivitis and dry sockets where metronidazole was the drug of choice. There was a wide variety of dosage, frequency and duration for all the antibiotics used in the treatment of acute dental infections. Conclusions The results obtained from this questionnaire support the conclu sion that the therapeutic prescribing of antibiotics in general dental prac tice varies widely and is suboptimal. There is a clear need for the develop ment of prescribing guidelines and educational initiatives to encourage the rational and appropriate use of the antibiotics in National Health Service general dental practice.