DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2015.v03i09.003

Pages: 740-745

Appropriate and correct use of antibiotics is essential to ensure effective and safe treatment and to avoid microbial resistance. The purpose of the survey was to assess the prescribing habits of the dental practitioners of Rajasthan State regarding antibiotic. A one-page, double sided questionnaire was sent to 300 dental practitioners. The responses obtained were statistically analyzed. Out of 300 surveys mailed, response rate was 53.3%. Mean age of the practitioners was 37.4  6.37 years. 71.9% of them were male & 83.1% had MDS degree. Mean duration of prescribing antibiotic was 5.2  1.59 days. 76.6% chose amoxicillin in patients with no medical allergies alone (40.5%) or with clavulanic acid (36.1%) followed by ofloxacin and ornidazole combination (22.5%). Antibiotic preferred in patients with history of penicillin allergy was ofloxacin and ornidazole combination (52.5%) followed by clindamycin (16.9%). No of practitioners prescribing antibiotics for various indications ranged from 8.8% to 31.9%Antibiotics are used widely in dentistry, often unnecessarily. Dental practitioners must become better educated about the prudent use of antibiotics, the dangers and cost of their overuse and misuse.