Antibioterapia em medicina dentária

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The antibiotics prescription is a common practice among dentistry professionals. These use them for treatment and for prevention of infections. However, the scientific board guidelines for this therapy are not clear and possess contradictions or lack scientific background support. Studies provide evidence of an inadequate prescription of antibiotics by dentists, due to a number of different factors in which lack of knowledge or social factors are included. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze the antibiotic proscription patterns by Portuguese dentists and simultaneously contribute to enhance good prescription practices, with recommendations and organigrams, with the purpose to combat bacterial resistance, which is considered a serious public health problem. METHODOLOGY: A bibliographic review was performed to analyze the overall antibiotherapy principals and supply, through interconnection of areas such as therapeutics, oral microbiology, cellular biology and biochemistry, schemes to the main dentistry clinical situations. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Despite the fact that the performed study does not represent the professional board, it demonstrated a huge disparity in the way antibiotics are applied, in both local infection treatment and prophylaxis. It is estimated that the obtained results are due to lack of knowledge among dental professionals or due to the existing controversies among scientific board. Moreover, the results demonstrate that the antibiotics prescription is often performed without scientific background. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to deepen the scientific knowledge about this subject, involving studies from the normal oral microflora to the indicated antimicrobial prescription, with the purpose to standardize the way how this therapy should be applied and turn prescription standards homogeneous among dentists.

Date of Award	9 Sept 2014
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Frederico Teixeira (Supervisor)