The prevalence of inappropriate prescription of antibiotics and mouthwash in periodontal disease among general dentists

Nazemi Salman B Reza Zadeh F Vahabi S Shirinbak I Basir Shabestari S 1. Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Zanjan University of Medical Science, Zanjan,Iran 2. Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz,Iran 3. Associated Professor, Department of Periontist, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran,Iran 4. Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Alborz University of Medical Science, Karaj,Iran 5. Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj,Iran Corresponding Author: samira-bsh2@yahoo.com Background: Due to the increasing desire to the application of chemical therapy for periodontal disease among dentists, the percentage of inappropriate drug prescription is also on the rise. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic and mouthwashes prescription among general dentists participating in the pediatric dentistry congress. Materials and methods: This descriptive analytical study was done with the aid of two questionnaires distributed among 60 randomly chosen general dentists participating in pediatric dentistry congress. Results: The highest percentage of antibiotic prescription was related to periodontal abscess (81%) while no one prescribed antibiotic for refractory periodontitis. About 60% of general dentists prescribed antibiotics before or during treatment. Only 15% of dentists, had done surgical treatment and mechanica l debridement on patients with pocket depth more than 4 mm before mouthwash prescription. About 15% of dentists were not confirmed mouthwash prescription alone for periodontitis. Conclusion: Around 75% of dentists’ antibiotic prescription was inappropriate. Moreover 66.6% of them were also considered the wrong duration for antibiotic therapy.