Abstract
As to the prevention of transient bacteremia after tooth extraction, the efficacy of three carbapenem antibiotics, imipenem/cilastatin (IPM/ CS), panipenem/betamipron (PAPM/BP), and meropenem (MEPM) were examined. Healthy patients who required tooth extraction, curettage of odontogenic cysts, or other surgical treatments were selected randomly. Venous blood samples obtained after tooth extraction or other treatments during intravenous IPM/CS (0.5g), PAPM/BP (0.5g), or MEPM (0.5g) were cultured on Bactec NR16A® and 17A® (Becton Dickinson, U.S.A.) . Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for each isolate were measured. Levels of the drug in the serum were also measured. The overall incidence of bacteremia after tooth extraction were 17.3 % (4/23), 14.8 % (4/27), and 4.1 % (1/24) respectively. The number of isolated strains were 5, 5, and 1 respectively, but streptococcal bacteremia was not recognized. It was considered that the carbapenem antibiotics, especially MEPM, have a significant effect in decreasing the risk of bacteremia after tooth extraction.
