Knowledge and practice of antibiotic prescription by dentists for management of oral diseases in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Aim: Dentists routinely prescribe antibiotics to treat oral and maxillofacial infections prophylactically for those patients with immunocompromised conditions or as an adjunctive with the definitive treatment. Inappropriate prescription or excessive use can lead to bacterial resistance. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and awareness of dentists on antibiotics prescriptions, and to determine whether the dentists follow the rational of antibiotics use. Materials and Methods: A self-administered multiple-choice questionnaire regarding dentists' knowledge and practice about antibiotics prescriptions was distributed among government and private dental clinics in Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Data were analyzed by using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 22.0, and P value was fixed at <= 0.05. Results: The response rate was 57.29% and 33.3% of dentists' knowledge of antibiotics and their prescriptions were obtained through university. All dentists agreed that it is important to be updated. Results show that there was no significant difference between the mean total scores of knowledge with most of demographic variables (P > 0.05), whereas significant difference was found regarding specialty and years of practice (P < 0.05). Finally, there was significant difference between the nationality and type of practice regarding the mean total score of practice (P < 0.05). Conclusion: From all participants, 50% of dentists have acceptable knowledge regarding antibiotics prescription in all aspects, whereas less than 30% were able to show acceptable level of clinical practice regarding antibiotics prescription. Regular update to dentists' knowledge accumulated by continuous education courses and formulation of national guidelines need to be followed as a standard for the dentists.