Antibiotic stewardship program in dentistry: Challenges and opportunities

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is assigned as a menace by the WHO (World Health Organization) where diseases resulting from multidrug-resistant bacteria are refractory to treatment as a result of a scarcity of new antibiotics in the queue. Antibiotic stewardship program is one of the worldwide strategies to advertise responsible use of antibiotics to halt AMR. The world has started facing a postantibiotic era without immediate and integrated action. Common infections which were treatable for decades can once again kill. The dentistry contributions towards antibiotic resistance are substantial. Approximately 10% of all common antibiotics are prescribed by dentists. Antimicrobial stewardship is a policy that can assist us in addressing the problems of antibiotic resistance. It is a framework that promotes the truly sustainable use of antimicrobials in dentistry. It refers to the approach which is multifaceted and incorporates policies, and guidelines along with surveillance, reports of prevalence and education, and audit of practice for reducing prescribing, adopted by health care organizations. The prime strategy is to improve clinical results while mitigating unintended consequences such as toxicity, pathogenic organism selection, and resistance emergence. Such issues should be centralized and the ongoing need to identify and convert “responsible usage” into context-specific and time-specific behavior. The importance of the antibiotic stewardship program, its team, and their action has become a challenge for the dental hospital but along with it, there are numerous opportunities to achieve the goal.

Keywords

• antibiotics
• antimicrobial stewardship
• dental profession
• dentists
• leadership