2022 Volume 60 Issue 3 Pages 108-115
With the announcement of an action plan to promote countermeasures against antimicrobial drug resistance (AMR) in Japan, our hospital has been working on AMR countermeasures since 2016. Accordingly, we investigated changes over time in the use of oral antimicrobials in pediatric dentistry. Daily Outpatients Dose (density of use of antimicrobials per 1,000 outpatients per day ; DOD) was used to standardize the data. In addition, a comparison with pediatrics was also performed, with Days of Therapy (antimicrobial use period ; DOT) also used as an index.
Before the AMR measures, second- and third-generation cephalosporins accounted for 95% or more of the total ; however, after the measures, the number of antimicrobial drug prescriptions started to decrease. After 2019, the penicillin system accounted for 95% or more. The DOD value for each fiscal year also showed a declining trend, with the lowest value being in 2021.
In the comparison between pediatrics and pediatric dentistry using two kinds of indicators, DOD and DOT, the two indicators indicated similar trends in the prescriptions from pediatric dentistry ; however, it was found that the proportions tended to differ in pediatrics. This was thought to be due to the fact that in pediatric dentistry, the number of prescription days, etc. was determined uniformly.
This survey confirmed the effectiveness of education on AMR countermeasures for healthcare professionals. In order to promote the appropriate use of further antimicrobial drugs, it is necessary to continue to provide education on AMR countermeasures on a regular basis.
