Inhibition of oral contraceptive effectiveness by concurrent antibiotic administration. A review

The use of antibiotics in periodontal therapy has received increasing attention in recent years. Although generally safe, certain antibiotics, including tetracycline and ampicillin, have been shown to interact indirectly with oral contraceptives, with a resultant decrease in oral contraceptive efficacy. This paper reviews the nature of antibiotic-oral contraceptive inter-actions, as well as the precautions that have been suggested for patients taking oral contraceptives for whom certain antibiotics have been prescribed.