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. 2018 Mar-Apr;11(2):122-127.
doi: 10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1497. Epub 2018 Apr 1.

A Survey on the Use of Antibiotics among the Dentists of Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Rahul Kaul  1 , Paras Angrish  1 , Parul Jain  1 , Subrata Saha  2 , Ashok V Sengupta  3 , Shantanu Mukherjee  3
Affiliations

A Survey on the Use of Antibiotics among the Dentists of Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Rahul Kaul et al. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2018 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Introduction: Dental infections are multimicrobial in origin with their etiological factors involving a combination of Gram-positive, Gram-negative, facultative anaerobes, and obligate anaerobic bacteria. Thus, antibiotics and analgesics account for a great majority of medicines prescribed by the dental surgeons. Inappropriate prescription of antibiotics by health care professionals has become a worldwide issue nowadays.

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to:• Determine the pattern of antibiotic prescription among dentists of Kolkata.• Assess the attitude of dentists toward antibiotic resistance.

Materials and methods: An electronic version of the questionnaire of cross-sectional survey regarding antibiotic use and attitude toward growing antibiotic resistance was constructed using Qualtrics (Qualtrics Pvt. Limited Provo, Utah), an internet online survey tool that was e-mailed to dental surgeons of Kolkata registered with Indian Dental Association (IDA), West Bengal. A reminder e-mail was given after 1 month to recollect the responses from them.

Results: The survey was e-mailed to 300 dental surgeons, out of which 115 dental surgeons completed the survey, thereby achieving a response rate of 38.33%. Majority of the respondents (60%) chose amoxicillin in nonallergic patients. Average minimum duration of antibiotic therapy was 5 days. The drug of first choice for patients with an allergy to penicillin was erythromycin. The prime determinant of antibiotic use was facial swelling (68%). The prime determinant to select a particular brand of antibiotics was affordability of that brand (61%). Almost all (99%) dental surgeons were aware of antibiotic resistance being a growing concern. As per their views, there was overprescription of antibiotics.How to cite this article: Kaul R, Angrish P, Jain P, Saha S, Sengupta AV, Mukherjee S. A Survey on the Use of Antibiotics among the Dentists of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2018;11(2):122-127.

Keywords: Analgesics; Antibiotics; Overuse; Resistance..

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Conflict of interest statement

Source of support: Nil Conflict of interest: None

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