Concentration of azidocillin, erythromycin, doxycycline and clindamycin in dental alveolar serum after single oral doses.

Treatment of osteitis in the mandible after surgery is still a clinical problem. Levels of four antibiotics--azidocillin, erythromycin, doxycycline, and clindamycin--were measured in serum and dental alveolar serum in 42 patients undergoing oral surgery. The systemic serum concentrations were higher than the dental alveolar serum concentrations in all patients. The maximal concentration in the alveolar serum for azidocillin was 6.0-12.0 microng/ml, for erythromycin 0.7-1.3 microng/ml, for doxycycline 2.8-3.6 microng/ml, and for clindamycin 2.0-2.8 microng/ml. When the dental alveolar serum concentrations of the various antibiotics were related to their range of inhibitory concentrations for microorganisms isolated from mandibular osteitis, it was noticed that each drug achieved levels sufficient to inhibit most strains.