PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Mothanna K. AlRahabi
AU  - Ziad A. Abuong
TI  - Antibiotic abuse during endodontic treatment in private dental centers
AID  - 10.15537/smj.2017.8.19373
DP  - 2017 Aug 01
TA  - Saudi Medical Journal
PG  - 852--856
VI  - 38
IP  - 8
4099  - http://smj.org.sa/content/38/8/852.short
4100  - http://smj.org.sa/content/38/8/852.full
SO  - Saudi Med J2017 Aug 01; 38
AB  - Objectives: We evaluated antibiotic prescription practices during root canal treatments among general dentists in private dental clinics in Al-Madinah Al Munawarah, Saudi Arabia.Methods: A self-administered, questionnaire about antibiotic used during root canal treatment was distributed to 75 randomly selected general dental practitioners working in private dental clinics in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia, between March and April 2016. The questionnaires were collected one week later. To compare results of the collected data, Chi-square test was used.Results: The results revealed that 60% of the dentists prescribed amoxicillin with clavulanic acid as the first choice treatment for endodontic pathosis. Clindamycin (51.6%) was the first choice for patients who were allergic to penicillin. Forty-five percent of the general practitioners prescribed antibiotics for 5 days. Approximately 83.3% of general practitioners prescribed antibiotics for acute apical abscesses. Prophylactic antibiotics were prescribed for cases with a history of infective endocarditis (65.5%), non-controlled diabetes (60.3%), placement of a prosthetic joint in the previous 2 years (46.6%), congenital heart disease (36.2%), and kidney dialysis shunts (34.5%).Conclusion: This study reveals antibiotic abuse in endodontic treatment practice in private dental clinics in Al-Madinah Al Munawarah, Saudi Arabia. General dental practitioners are lacking knowledge regarding the prescription of antibiotics in endodontic treatment and situations requiring prophylactic antibiotics.