KNOWLEDGE OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE AND ANTIMICROBIAL PRESCRIPTION AMONG DENTAL PRACTITIONERS IN CHENNAI CITY- A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Introduction: Most human oro-facial infections originate from odontogenic infections, and prescribing antimicrobial has become a ubiquitous phenomenon. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized the inappropriate, indiscriminate and irrational use of antimicrobials leading to antimicrobial resistance. Aim & Objective: To assess the knowledge of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial prescription among dental practitioners in Chennai city. Materials and Methods: A total of 110 registered dental practitioners participated in this cross-sectional study. A pre-validated and self-administered questionnaire was prepared and distributed to the registered dental practitioners in Chennai city to collect the demographic details and the information regarding knowledge and practice towards antimicrobial resistance and an antimicrobial prescription for the most common oral conditions and commonly prescribed antimicrobials for their patients were obtained. Statistical analysis. The data were statistically analyzed by using the Statistical Package for the Social Science version 20.0. Descriptive statistics were performed, and a Chi-square test was done to assess the association between knowledge and practice of BDS and MDS participants. Results: 79.66% of BDS and 92.16% of MDS practitioners recommended amoxicillin as their first choice antibiotic drug. 77.96% of BDS and 52.94% of MDS were used to calculate the drug dosage based on the age and weight of the patients. During the pregnancy period, 76.27% of BDS and 60.78% of MDS practitioners were considered, amoxicillin is the safest antibiotic for oral infections. Conclusion: Based on this cross-sectional survey, the overall knowledge of antimicrobial prescription and antimicrobial resistance among dental practitioners was lower.