Assessment of the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Antibiotic Prescription among a group of Dentists in Egypt: A cross-sectional survey

Abstract

 Objectives: The purpose of this survey is to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices related to antibiotic prescription patterns in a group of dentists in Egypt.  Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted electronically using online google forms. It included inquiries in the form of close-ended questions to be answered in tick-box format, the questions mainly uncovered, the participants’ “Knowledge” about the problem of antibiotic resistance and its association with professional mal practices, and also their “Attitudes and practices” concerning antibiotic prescriptions in different clinical conditions. 500 participants answered the questionnaire over a period of three months.  Results: Most of the participants prescribed Amoxicillin or Amoxicillin + clavulanic acid in conditions that warrant antibiotics usage. A comparable proportion preferred a treatment duration of 5-7 days. Although, 96% of the responses came in favor of antibiotic prescription in serious clinical conditions as facial cellulitis, still variable proportions of the sample chose to prescribe antibiotics for conditions that do not necessitate their usage as “localized intra-oral abscesses”, “sinus tracts and fistulas”, “luxation injuries” and “managing viral infections”.  Conclusions: Although the participants showed considerably adequate knowledge of the bacterial resistance problem, their practices showed varying degrees of deviation from the guidelines of antibiotic prescriptions set by the AAPD.