Abstract
Dentists prescribe antibiotics for both therapeutic and prophylactic reasons to manage oral and dental infections. Antibiotic prescriptions can be associated with unfavorable side effects and the development of resistance.
A survey was conducted among dental specialists (DSs) and general dental practitioners (GDPs) at private dental clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to assess their level of knowledge regarding the action of antibiotics, their use and misuse in oral conditions, systemic diseases and prophylaxis.
A total of 380 identical surveys that contained 32 questions were completed by DSs and GDPs in a supervised setting. Descriptive statistics were calculated to assess the overall knowledge of both DSs and GDPs, and their knowledge within each category of questions. Independent t-tests were used to ascertain whether there were significant differences between DSs and GDPs. A scatterplot diagram was used to test for a correlation between the years of experience of practitioners and their knowledge level.
The response rate was 79.7%. An acceptable level of knowledge was attained by 85.5% of dentists and 42.2% just passed. The percentage of dentists with an acceptable level of knowledge regarding prophylaxis was 51%. The scores for overall information levels about antibiotics among both DSs and GDPs were close to 70%. The percentage of DSs with an acceptable level of knowledge on antibiotic actions was 69.2%, 90.7% for oral conditions and 66.7% for medical conditions, compared to 66.8%, 88.7% and 64.8%, respectively, for GDPs. No significant relationship was found between the experience and knowledge level.
Our findings suggest that the overall knowledge level of dentists about antibiotics is acceptable, but more focus should be given to their ongoing training regarding the pharmacological aspects, pertinent medical conditions and prophylactic use of antibiotics.