Survey of antimicrobial use in dentistry using NDB open data

Abstract

In recent years, antimicrobial resistance （AMR） has become a health problem worldwide. In Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare （MHLW） has presented an action plan for AMR countermeasures. Although the standard duration of antimicrobial therapy for dental infections has been shown to vary depending on type of infection and patient's condition, three-day therapy is considered the basic duration. Inappropriate or prolonged administration of antimicrobial agents results in the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. Particularly, prolonged use of empiric antimicrobial agents may lead to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the use and duration of antimicrobial administration in dental practice. The results showed that more than 80 ％ of prescriptions were for 3 days or less, with a decreasing trend in the number of prescriptions of cephalosporins, （particularly, the third-generation. In addition, there were an increasing number of prescriptions of penicillins. However, since the reduction rate of cephalosporins has not reached that reduction rate set forth in the Action Plan for AMR control, the hospital Infection Control Team （ICT） and Antimicrobial Stewardship Team （AST）, which are currently expected to carry out few interventions in dental practice, should significantly limit antimicrobial use and ensure the use of first-line drugs for treatment. The significance of these interventions in the dental field could be effective.