The ADA Council on Scientific Affairs published a clinical practice statement in the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) calling for stronger antibiotic stewardship in dentistry.
While antibiotic prescribing by medical clinicians has declined, dentist-prescribing stayed essentially unchanged from 2012 to 2022, with dentists accounting for about 10% of all outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in recent years, the council found. The statement urges clinicians to move away from precautionary prescribing, citing risks such as Clostridioides difficile infection from disrupted gut microbiomes.
The council pointed to existing guidelines on dental pain, swelling, and periodontitis, and said a living guideline on antibiotic prophylaxis for implant surgery is expected this winter.
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