The Use and Abuse of Antimicrobial Agents in Dental Practice
Pankaj Gupta *
Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Nair Hospital Dental College, Mumbai Central, Mumbai, India
Heeresh Shetty
Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Nair Hospital Dental College, Mumbai Central, Mumbai, India
Sneha Gada
Intern, Nair Hospital Dental College, Mumbai Central, Mumbai, India
Hiral Gandhi
Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Sinhgad Dental College and Hospital, Pune, India
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
It’s been over 60 years since the wide spread use of penicillin saved millions of lives from infection. Today there is a rapid emergence of antimicrobial resistance and it’s on the increase with each passing day. The dentists are responsible for a large number of antimicrobials prescribed and thus have a part to play in the antimicrobial resistance also. The present article discusses how are the dental professionals prescribing habits differ from other medical professionals, how are they contributing towards antimicrobial resistance and what are the steps which can be taken to curb the overuse of antimicrobials by dentists.
Keywords: Antimicrobials, antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance, dentists