Appropriateness of Therapeutic Antibiotic Prescriptions by Lebanese Dentists in the Management of Acute Endodontic Abscesses

The misuse of antibiotics in dentistry is a serious concern especially in regards to the emergence of antibiotic resistance. The objective of the study was to evaluate the appropriateness of antibiotics prescriptions by Lebanese dentists to patients with endodontic abscesses and their compliance with the guidelines of the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) and the European Society of Endodontology (ESE). The treating dentists recorded clinical information from 127 patients diagnosed with acute or chronic endodontic abscess. The information also included the type of antibiotic prescribed, dosage, and duration of the prescription. Prescriptions were not given to 14/20 patients with an acute endodontic abscess despite the presence of an indication to prescribe. All the prescriptions given to patients with an acute endodontic abscess were inappropriate according to the ESE and AAE guidelines. Antibiotics were also prescribed unnecessarily to 17/42 patients with a chronic endodontic abscess. This study concluded that antibiotics prescriptions by Lebanese dentists for the management of endodontic abscesses were inappropriate. Penicillin V potassium (VK) was not available in Lebanon when the study was conducted. Only broad-spectrum antibiotics were prescribed. This finding raises concerns about the emergence of antibiotic resistance.