Pain is localized, dull, with tenderness of associated teeth. Pain is spontaneous, aggravated by biting, and related to a non-vital tooth.Īffected tooth is associated with swollen gingiva, sensitive to percussion, mobile and vital. Pain initially is not localized unless the periodontal ligament (PL) has become involved, which makes the tooth tender to percussion and makes the PL appear widened on radiographs. In its final stages, it is elicited by hot applications and relieved by cold applications. Pain is elicited by hot or cold applications. Spontaneous attacks of pain ranging from few seconds to several hours. Pain is poorly localized, of very short duration and may outlast the stimulus. These references were reviewed to evaluate the therapeutic and prophylactic antibiotic prescribing practices of dentists with a focus on indications of antibiotics, type of antibiotic prescribed, and the duration of prescription. Over 400 references were retrieved 33 of them investigated antibiotic prescribing by dentists. Searches were limited to human studies published in English. The PubMed database was searched in February 2010, and search criteria included: antibiotic, dentist, and prescribing. These serious complications associated with antibiotics use have encouraged studies investigating antibiotic prescribing practices of dentists.
7 We have now entered an era where some bacterial species are resistant to the full range of antibiotics presently available, with the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus being the most widely known example of extensive resistance. The increasing resistance problems of recent years are probably related to over- or mis-use of broad-spectrum agents such as cephalosporins and fluoro-quinolones. 6Īntibiotic prescribing may be associated with unfavorable side effects ranging from gastrointestinal disturbances to fatal anaphylactic shock and development of resistance. 5 On the other hand, the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that approximately one-third of all outpatient antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary. 4 In the UK, for instance, dentists accounted for 7% of all community prescriptions of antimicrobials. 3 Dentists prescribe between 7% and 11% of all common antibiotics (betalactams, macrolides, tetracyclines, clindamycin, metronidazole). For this reason, antibiotics account for the vast majority of medicines prescribed by dentists.
1 Since most human orofacial infections originate from odontogenic infections, 2 the prescribing of antibiotics by dental practitioners has become an important aspect of dental practice. Dentists prescribe medications for the management of a number of oral conditions, mainly orofacial infections.