Resources for Antibiotic Prescribing in Dentistry

Lauri A. Hicks, DO, Director, Office of Antibiotic Stewardship, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discusses new resources dentists can use for prescribing antibiotics prophylactically.

Interview Transcript (slightly modified for readability)

“There are a couple of new resources available for dentists. Certainly, there [is] a number of publications describing when antibiotics should be used for prophylactic reasons [or] for heart conditions.

Recently, there was a publication about use of antibiotics prophylactically for prosthetic joints, for example. The recommendations for that have actually gone away.

There are some other newer publications, 1 related to just the volume and characterizing antibiotic prescribing in dentistry, published in The Journal of the American Dental Association, within the past few months.

We have another publication that came out about a year ago, looking at the considerations for responsible antibiotic use in dentistry. That [publication] goes through a number of steps that dentists can take to improve their prescribing practices.”