Rational antibiotic prescribing practices among dentists in Turkey: a cross-sectional study

Irrational antibiotic use is one of the most important reasons for the rise of antibiotic resistance worldwide. This study questioned how dentists comply with rational antibiotic use (RAU) principles when prescribing antibiotics, their inadequacy, and the need for training. The study included 324 dentists working with patients from public, private, and university settings in Turkey. An online survey was conducted to evaluate demographic information, approaches, and attitudes toward antibiotic prescribing. 64% of the participants were female dentists. 50.6% of all participants are dentists working in private clinics, and the rate of those with less than five years of professional experience is 48.5%. While the participants mainly prescribe antibiotics for infection treatment (89.2%), the rate of those who inform their patients about the maximum daily dose is 91.7%. Participants reported that they had a lack of knowledge about drug interactions (76.2%) and pharmacological properties (44.4%), and it was determined that these participants wanted to receive training on RAU. The rate of participants who wish to receive RAU training is 86.1%. It would be beneficial for dentists to update their training in rational antibiotic prescribing in order to monitor antimicrobial resistance patterns and to obtain the necessary information about contraindications and disinfection protocols.