Study Examines Antibiotic Prescriptions for Dental Pain

Study Examines Antibiotic Prescriptions for Dental Pain

According to a new study, more than 50% of patients in the United Kingdom (UK) who visited their general practitioner in the past 10 years for a dental-related problem were prescribed antibiotics for pain instead of receiving a referral to a dental health care provider. The study “Dental Consultations in UK General Practice and Antibiotic Prescribing Rates: A Retrospective Cohort Study” was published online by the British Journal of General Practice in May. Such practices, it is noted, may increase the risk of antibiotic resistance, promote unnecessary medication usage, and compromise patients’ oral health.

The 10-year retrospective study examined dental consultations in general practice settings in the UK, also tracking the number of antibiotic prescriptions. With a high number of patients visiting their general practitioner instead of a dental professional for oral-related pain, many patients were advised to take antibiotics rather than seek dental care. In fact, more than 50% of patients observed in the study were prescribed an antibiotic for dental-related pain.

A shortfall of the study was its inability to identify why patients visited a physician instead of a dental professional in the first place. Regardless, the authors pointed out that the practice of prescribing antibiotics for dental pain should be curtailed. Rather, patients presenting in any clinical setting with dental pain should be referred to a dental practitioner so the cause of the pain can be addressed and oral health status can be evaluated.

Hygiene Connection E-Newsletter

May 2016