Trends of Antibiotics Prescription amongst General Dental Practitioners and Specialist Dental Practitioners in Delhi NCR: A Survey

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to identify and compare the antibiotic prescription trends in the management of endodontic infections between general and specialist dental practitioners in the region of Delhi & NCR. Methods: 300 questionnaires were distributed amongst dentists practicing in the region of Delhi, Ghaziabad & Gurgaon. Each questionnaire had 20 questions. Out of 300, only 247 were returned or deemed useful. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test of significance. Results: 83 % of general dental practitioners (GDP) and 69.6% specialist dental practitioners (SDP) prescribe antibiotics for routine endodontic treatment. For patients with no history of drug allergy, the most commonly prescribed antibiotic was amoxicillin and clavulanic acid. In patients with uncertain diagnosis, 15.1% of GDP prescribe antibiotics compared with 13.9% of SDP. In the case of intraoral swelling 91.8% of general dental practitioners chose to prescribe antibiotics compared with 87.3% of specialist dental practitioners (SDP), in the scenario of retreatment, general dental practitioners (54.2%) prescribed antibiotics similar to specialist dental practitioners (53.8%). The average number of days of antibiotic prescription was 5 days. Visits from medical representatives affected the choice of drug prescribed by 35%. Conclusion: Dentists tend to overprescribe medication during routine endodontic treatment. GDP overprescribe antibiotics significantly more than SDP for the same.