ANTIBIOTIC PRESCRIPTION TRENDS AMONG DENTISTS WITH RESPECT TO DESIGNATION FOR LIVER DISEASE PATIENTS UNDERGOING DENTAL TREATMENT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71000/5b0a3932Keywords:
Antibiotic Prophylaxis, Dental Extraction, Dentists, Endodontics, Hepatic Insufficiency, Immunocompromised Host, Prescription PracticesAbstract
Background: Patients with liver disease are often immunocompromised and prone to opportunistic infections, making antibiotic prophylaxis an important aspect of dental care. The altered drug metabolism and increased risk of bleeding in such patients necessitate careful prescription practices. However, the antibiotic prescribing trends among dentists may vary based on their clinical experience and professional designation. Understanding these trends is essential for aligning practices with international guidelines and ensuring safe patient outcomes.
Objective: To assess the association between the designation of dentists and their antibiotic prescription trends for liver disease patients undergoing dental treatment.
Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at the College of Dentistry, Sharif Medical and Dental College, Lahore, from January 2024 to January 2025. A total of 100 dentists (50 general dental practitioners and 50 house officers) were recruited using convenience sampling. Dentists with less than six months of clinical experience were excluded. Only those who had worked in the Oral Surgery and Endodontics departments were included, regardless of age or gender. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.914), and analyzed using SPSS version 23. The chi-square test was applied to evaluate associations, with a significance level set at p < 0.05.
Results: A non-significant association was found between dentist designation and antibiotic prescription for liver disease patients undergoing dental extraction (p = 0.513). Among house officers, 34% prescribed antibiotics compared to 26% of general dentists. For root canal treatment, 24% of house officers and 20% of general dentists prescribed antibiotics, again with a non-significant association (p = 0.810).
Conclusion: Although the associations were not statistically significant, notable variations in prescription practices existed between house officers and general dentists. These findings highlight the importance of standardized antibiotic prescribing education across all levels of dental training.
References
Krockow EM, Harvey EJ, Ashiru-Oredope D. Addressing long-term and repeat antibiotic prescriptions in primary care: considerations for a behavioural approach. BMJ Qual Saf. 2022;31(11):782-6.
Park SY, Moon SM, Kim B, Lee MJ, Park JY, Hwang S, et al. Appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions during hospitalization and ambulatory care: a multicentre prevalence survey in Korea. J Glob Antimicrob Resist. 2022;29:253-8.
Kjome RLS, Bjønnes JAJ, Lygre H. Changes in Dentists' Prescribing Patterns in Norway 2005-2015. Int Dent J. 2022;72(4):552-8.
Levin AS, Freire MP, Oliveira MS, Nastri ACS, Harima LS, Perdigão-Neto LV, et al. Correlating drug prescriptions with prognosis in severe COVID-19: first step towards resource management. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2022;22(1):246.
De Vito A, Fiore V, Colpani A, Zauli B, Fanelli C, Tiseo G, et al. The current and future off-label uses of dalbavancin: a narrative review. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2023;27(3):1222-38.
Ngougni Pokem P, Vanneste D, Schouwenburg S, Abdulla A, Gijsen M, Dhont E, et al. Dose optimization of β-lactam antibiotics in children: from population pharmacokinetics to individualized therapy. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol. 2024;20(8):787-804.
Mehrizi R, Golestani A, Malekpour MR, Karami H, Nasehi MM, Effatpanah M, et al. Drug prescription patterns and their association with mortality and hospitalization duration in COVID-19 patients: insights from big data. Front Public Health. 2023;11:1280434.
Lee S, Yoon S, Jang IJ. Evaluation of drug prescribing patterns and therapeutic drug monitoring practice using electronic medical records. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):21377.
Leis JA. Judicious antibiotic prescribing in primary care. Bmj. 2023;381:846.
Belachew SA, Hall L, Selvey LA. Non-prescription dispensing of antibiotic agents among community drug retail outlets in Sub-Saharan African countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. 2021;10(1):13.
Mouche L, de Germay S, Perino J, Cazanave C. [Not Available]. Sante Publique. 2025;37(1):119-29.
Jean SS, Liu IM, Hsieh PC, Kuo DH, Liu YL, Hsueh PR. Off-label use versus formal recommendations of conventional and novel antibiotics for the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2023;61(5):106763.
Lehrer BJ, Mutamba G, Thure KA, Evans CD, Hersh AL, Banerjee R, et al. Optimal Pediatric Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(10):e2437409.
Novack GD, Caspar JJ. Peri-Operative Intracameral Antibiotics: The Perfect Storm? J Ocul Pharmacol Ther. 2020;36(9):668-71.
Okihata R, Michi Y, Sunakawa M, Tagashira Y. Pharmacist-led multi-faceted intervention in an antimicrobial stewardship programme at a dental university hospital in Japan. J Hosp Infect. 2023;136:30-7.
Damkjaer M, Loane M, Urhøj SK, Ballardini E, Cavero-Carbonell C, Coi A, et al. Preterm birth and prescriptions for cardiovascular, antiseizure, antibiotics and antiasthmatic medication in children up to 10 years of age: a population-based data linkage cohort study across six European regions. BMJ Open. 2022;12(10):e061746.
Devarajan V, Nadeau NL, Creedon JK, Dribin TE, Lin M, Hirsch AW, et al. Reducing Pediatric Emergency Department Prescription Errors. Pediatrics. 2022;149(6).
Perletti G, Trinchieri A, Stamatiou K, Magri V. Safety considerations with new antibacterial approaches for chronic bacterial prostatitis. Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2022;21(2):171-82.
Ngyedu EK, Acolatse J, Akafity G, Incoom R, Rauf A, Seaton RA, et al. Selling antibiotics without prescriptions among community pharmacies and drug outlets: a simulated client study from Ghana. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2023;21(12):1373-82.
Schachner LA, Lynde CW, Kircik LH, Torrelo A, Hohl D, Kwong P, et al. Treatment of Impetigo and Antimicrobial Resistance. J Drugs Dermatol. 2021;20(4):366-72.
Walker WL, Schmit KM, Welch EC, Vonnahme LA, Talwar A, Nguyen M, et al. Using the Food and Drug Administration´s Sentinel System for surveillance of TB infection. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2022;26(12):1170-6.
Kuraji R, Shiba T, Dong TS, Numabe Y, Kapila YLJWjog. Periodontal treatment and microbiome-targeted therapy in management of periodontitis-related nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with oral and gut dysbiosis. 2023;29(6):967.
Butt H, Waheed Z, Hafeez F, Imran M, Fatima SM, Khan K, et al. Knowledge and practices of dentists regarding antibiotic prescription in medically compromised patients undergoing dental treatment. 2020;57(8):1391-6.
Sönmez Kaplan S, Kaplan T, Sezgin GP. Antibiotic prescribing for endodontic infections and prophylaxis for medically compromised patients: a survey on dental students in Turkey. 2020.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Ayesha Basharat, Abdul Moeez Zafar, Saman Fatima, Hafsa Lateef, Summaya, Midhat Fatima, Hira butt (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.