Dental Students' Knowledge and Opinion on Optimizing Antibiotic Prophylaxis Guidelines: A Cross-Sectional Survey in India.

BACKGROUND

Antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) prescription is recommended to aid the body's defense in clearing tissues of microbial pathogens in patients at high risk of adverse outcomes, bacteremia, or infection undergoing invasive oral and dental procedures. A variety of influences impact dentists' decisions regarding AP prescribing. There is a paucity of data on diverse prescribing patterns of antibiotics as prophylaxis among dental students and professionals. Despite accumulating antimicrobial resistance (AMR), knowledge gaps regarding optimal prophylaxis practices persist among dental students and professionals. Considering India's massive dental workforce, it is necessary to evaluate dentists' current AP guideline knowledge and align local prophylaxis practices with international standards.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to assess the comprehension of current AP guidelines and AMR among dental students at multiple universities in India.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among fourth-year students, interns, and postgraduate dental students across 18 universities in India. The study was conducted using a Google Form-based questionnaire regarding AP guidelines and AMR. The Google Form was distributed, and responses were collected. Descriptive statistics were employed, and data were presented as frequencies and percentages. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 23.0.

RESULTS

Out of 250 dental students, 63.6% (n = 159) were female, and 36.3% (n = 91) were male. The majority were interns at 38.8% (n = 97), followed by fourth-year students at 37.6% (n = 94) and postgraduates at 23.6% (n = 59). At first glance, approximately three out of four practitioners believed that they were practicing evidence-based dentistry. However, when this self-reported familiarity was cross-referenced, only 35.1% (n = 88) actually used American Dental Association (ADA) guidelines as their primary decision-making tool, and only 26.3% (n = 66) knew the correct amoxicillin dosage one hour prior to the procedure. About 84.1% (n = 210) believed that there are almost no educational resources regarding AMR for Indian dental practitioners, whereas 89.2% (n = 223) thought that there is an urgent need to develop relevant guidelines considering AMR.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlighted a significant knowledge-practice gap due to the absence of relevant AP guidelines considering AMR for Indian dental practitioners. The majority of dental students perceived this as one of the important catalysts for the rising rates of AMR.