Date of Award

9-11-2022

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Health Policy and Management

First Advisor

Dr. Tazeen Ali

Second Advisor

Dr. Ambrina Qureshi

Third Advisor

Dr. Farhan Raza Khan

Department

Community Health Sciences

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic resistance is a well-known global public health concern, with antibiotic usage and abuse being the primary source of bacterial resistance. Dental experts frequently prescribe antibiotics to patients for both treatment and infection prevention. An important contributor to the development of antibiotic resistance is the improper usage of antibiotics. To promote the reasonable and appropriate use of drugs, particularly antibiotics in dentistry, antibiotic stewardship practice must be adopted with advancement of prescribing guidelines and educational policies immediately.
MATERIALS & METHODS: In this study we selected the dentists and stakeholders from both public and private setting to analyze the current situation of antibiotic prescription practices amongst dentists and their perceptions about antimicrobial stewardship practices. Subsequently gaps in dental healthcare settings regarding implementation of antimicrobial stewardship plans, polices & guidelines were highlighted.
RESULTS: Our findings indicated that both general dentists and specialist need to improve their prescription practices. lack of pro A reasonable unjustified use was observed. In clinical situation where clinical intervention would be the first line of treatment antibiotics alone were provided while some clinical indications were missed where antibiotic prophylaxis must be provided. Majority of them relied upon adjunctive antibiotic therapy and antibiotic prophylaxis to both healthy and immunocompromised individuals The application of appropriate prescribing standards by dentists seemed negligible. Additionally noted were non-clinical justifications for prescriptions that support misuse. Similar gaps were found at the organizational level, where clinical audit, accessibility to guidelines, and antibiotic usage assessment were all inadequate.
CONCLUSION: We urgently need to place guidelines into practice by updating them & making them available and mandatory to apply in clinical practice. Education, feedback, and audit must be integrated. To close the systemic gaps and apply contextually appropriate strategies to integrate antibiotic stewardship practices into the dental healthcare system, collaborative efforts are required at all levels of government and at the individual level.

First Page

1

Last Page

127

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