MISUSE OF ANTIBIOTICS IN ENDODONTIC PRACTICE- IS IT LEADING TO ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE?

Abstract

Antibiotics have revolutionized the entire health care system including both medicine and dentistry. Dental Infections continue to pose a challenge and can be successfully treated by either removal of the nidus of infection such as by drainage of the associated abscess, removal of the infected pulpal tissue or by extraction of the tooth. During a dental procedure in case of an infection the antibiotics can be given either systemically or locally. Systemic Antibiotics should be prescribed or used for dental infections on the basis of certain defined symptoms. Supplemental use of antibiotics are advised as the basic principle of management of infections. Evidently, an appropriate use of antibiotics leads to complete resolution of the infection, prevention of the spread of disease and minimization of serious complications of disease. Unfortunately in dental practice there is a trend to prescribe or misuse the antibiotics. In spite of all its myriad advantages, the irony remains that antibiotics constitute the single most abused group of drugs in health care today. This has led to an alarming increase in the rate of microbial resistance to antibiotics. With a focus on antibiotics used in the management of infection control, the goal of this study was to summarize the pertinent  use of antibiotics and to avoid development of antibiotic resistant infections due to misuse of antibiotics.