Dental infections: clinical and microbiological evaluation of responsiveness to twice daily amoxicillin-clavulanic acid [Amoxiclave]

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to determine the types of bacteria causing dental infections in Duhok city, Iraq, and examine its response to twice daily Amoxicillin- Clavulanic acid [Amoxiclav]. The study was conducted in Duhok Dental Health Center from November 2007 to April 2008, and included 47 adult patients with the following dental infections dry socket, pericoronitis, cellulitis, and periapical abscess. After taking smear or drainage for culture and sensitivity study, patients were prescribed Amoxiclave one gram twice daily for one week. After ten days, culture/ sensitivity studies were repeated. More than three quarter of the total isolates were made up by Streptococcus anginosus [31%], Actinomyces israeli [22%], Staphylococcus aureus [16%] and Bacteroides fragilis [8%]; more than half of the isolates had mixed infections. The overall cure rate was [87%]; the cure rate was [94%] in acute infections and [86%] in chronic ones. It may be concluded that Amoxiclave, as prescribed here, is effective against most of the isolated dental microbes