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Other
Sidney J. Fisher, DMD
Resident
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky, United States
Cristina Perez, DDS, MS Diplomate ABOP, ABPD
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Gregory Hawk, PhD
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Debora Scheffel, DDS, MS, PhD
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Debora Scheffel, DDS, MS, PhD
Assistant Professor Division of Pediatric Dentisty
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Lexington, Kentucky, United States
.jpg "Cristina Perez, DMD photo")
Cristina Perez, DMD
Assistant Professor Division of Pediatric Dentisty
University of Kentucky College of Dentistry
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky, United States
Purpose: Overprescribing antibiotics is a long-standing issue in the dental community. One reason for the inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics could be due to patient requests, demands, and satisfaction. No literature supports the routine use of antibiotics for the treatment of dental caries, dental pain, or postoperative healing; however, many parents believe antibiotics help resolve symptoms associated with dental caries. The purpose of this study is to assess parents’ knowledge of antibiotic resistance and antibiotic therapy regarding the treatment of dental caries.
Methods: A questionnaire containing two sections was administered to parents of ASA I, English and Spanish-speaking children aged 2-17 presenting to the Pediatric Dental Clinic. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Boards at the University of Kentucky (#92528). Section I contained nine questions addressing parents’ opinions on antibiotic use in the dental setting while Section II assesses parents’ knowledge of antibiotic resistance. Data analysis will include a description of the relative and absolute frequencies of the variables. Association tests will be performed for ordinal variables.
Results/
Conclusion: There were a total of 35 survey respondents. 46% of respondents expected antibiotics to be prescribed after a tooth extraction, 87% of respondents expected antibiotics for a tooth infection, and 29% of respondents expected antibiotics to be prescribed if their child has tooth pain. There was not a significant relationship between education level, age, gender, primary language spoken, or frequency of antibiotic use and antibiotic expectations after a tooth extraction. 63% of respondents indicated they are aware that many bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotic therapy, 37% believe this is only a problem for those who take antibiotics regularly. The results from this survey confirm that dental practitioners must better educate patients and their families on the proper indications of antibiotics, along with their risks and benefits.