Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Najran University, P.O. Box 1988, Najran, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Najran University, P.O. Box 1988, Najran, Saudi Arabia.
J Glob Antimicrob Resist. 2017 Jun;9:82-84. doi: 10.1016/j.jgar.2017.01.012. Epub 2017 Apr 25.
Few dental conditions require treatment with antibiotics, yet dentists account for 7% of antimicrobial prescribing. In light of the emerging global problem of antibiotic resistance, this fact is problematic. Little is known about the antibiotic prescribing practices of dentists in Saudi Arabia. This study therefore aimed to investigate the attitudes of dentists in Saudi Arabia towards the prescription of antibiotics for pulpal and periapical pathology.
This was a cross-sectional study involving an online questionnaire on antibiotic prescribing practices. A total of 195 dentists in three areas of southern Saudi Arabia (Najran, Gizan and Asser) completed the survey.
No significant differences in prescribing habits were found among respondents according to age, sex, level of education or time in endodontic practice. The percentage of respondents who reported that they would prescribe antibiotics for five endodontic conditions not requiring antibiotic treatment ranged from 8.1% to 28.1%. Most respondents (81.9%) would correctly prescribe antibiotics for a necrotic pulp with acute apical periodontitis and swelling; this result was consistent with previous studies. Reported antibiotic usage among the surveyed dentists was quite high.
Relatively high antibiotic use suggests a need to educate both dentists and patients about restricting the use of antibiotics to cases of severe infection and when indicated. More educational initiatives to rationalise the use of antibiotics in dental practice are needed to avoid further contributing to antibiotic resistance.
只有少数几种牙科疾病需要使用抗生素治疗，但牙医开具的抗生素处方却占所有抗生素处方的 7%。鉴于全球抗生素耐药性问题日益严峻，这一事实令人担忧。目前人们对沙特阿拉伯牙医的抗生素使用情况知之甚少。因此，本研究旨在调查沙特阿拉伯牙医对牙髓和根尖周病变使用抗生素的态度。
这是一项横断面研究，涉及对牙医抗生素使用习惯的在线问卷调查。沙特阿拉伯南部三个地区（纳季兰、吉赞和阿西尔）的 195 名牙医完成了此项调查。
根据年龄、性别、教育程度或牙髓病学实践经验，受访者的处方习惯没有明显差异。报告称对于五种不需要抗生素治疗的牙髓和根尖周病变会开具抗生素处方的受访者比例从 8.1%到 28.1%不等。大多数受访者（81.9%）会正确为急性根尖周炎伴牙髓坏死和肿胀开具抗生素处方；这一结果与之前的研究一致。调查牙医报告的抗生素使用量相当高。
相对较高的抗生素使用率表明，需要对牙医和患者进行教育，以限制抗生素仅用于严重感染和有指征的情况。需要采取更多的教育措施来合理使用抗生素，以避免对抗生素耐药性的进一步贡献。
