Inappropriate Dental Antibiotic Prescriptions: Potential Driver of the Antimicrobial Resistance in Albaha Region, Saudi Arabia

Abdullah Ali H Alzahrani; Mohammed Sarhan A Alzahrani; Bander H Aldannish; Hani Saleh Alghamdi; Mohammad A Albanghali; Shaia Saleh R Almalki

doi:10.2147/RMHP.S247184

Inappropriate Dental Antibiotic Prescriptions: Potential Driver of the Antimicrobial Resistance in Albaha Region, Saudi Arabia

Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2020 Mar 4:13:175-182. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S247184. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Abdullah Ali H Alzahrani¹, Mohammed Sarhan A Alzahrani², Bander H Aldannish³, Hani Saleh Alghamdi³, Mohammad A Albanghali⁴, Shaia Saleh R Almalki⁵

Affiliations

¹ Dental Health Department, Albaha University, Albaha, Saudi Arabia.
² Endodontics Department, Albaha University, Albaha, Saudi Arabia.
³ Albaha Dental Center, The Saudi Ministry of Health, Albaha, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Public Health Department, Albaha University, Albaha, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Laboratory Medicine Department, Albaha University, Albaha, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze and evaluate dental antibiotic prescriptions in Albaha Region, Saudi Arabia.

Patients and methods: A two-year retrospective cohort study was conducted between September 1, 2017 and September 1, 2019 in children and adults. Data collected from the patients' medical records were analyzed using SPSS. The Z-test with Bonferroni correction and descriptive proportions were utilized to compare several levels of categorical variables.

Results: Of the 43,255 dental visits, antibiotics were provided during 12,573 (29.1%). The commonly prescribed antibiotics were amoxicillin and amoxicillin combined with metronidazole (56.3% and 16.9%, respectively). Alarmingly, antibiotics were provided in several conditions for which they are medically neither recommended nor indicated; together, they represented 27.8% of those consultations in which antibiotics were prescribed. Female dentists prescribed more antibiotics than male dentists (30%, P = < 0.000), with male patients receiving more antibiotics than female patients (36%, P = <0.0001).

Conclusion: Unnecessary prescription of antibiotics was observed in the present study. Improving knowledge and awareness of Saudi dentists on dental antibiotic prescription is warranted.

Keywords: dental service; early diagnosis; health policy; oral disease; risk management.