Are you still prescribing Clindamycin and should you even prescribe antibiotics?
by Olivia Wann
If you’re staying up to date with the latest guidelines, then you are familiar with antibiotic stewardship. Four out of five antibiotics prescribed by a dentist are unnecessary or in discordance per the latest guidelines.
According to CDC, possible side effects of taking antibiotic include rash, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea and yeast infection. CDC further states that when antibiotics are not needed, they don’t help the patient but instead the effects cause harm. Are you prescribing antibiotics just in case? Is the patient asking for it? Think again on the potential harm and the fact that the prescribing dentist is the liable party if the patient is injured.
What types of serious harm could result? Have you read about C. difficile infection also known of C. diff? This infection can result in severe colon damage and death.
Of further concern is antibiotic resistance. This does not mean that the body is resistant to the antibiotic but rather the antibiotic can no longer kill the bacteria. In the United States, more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur annually which kill 35,000 people, according to CDC.
Patients with prosthetic joint implants are no longer advised to take prophylactic antibiotics. The American Heart Association guidelines support premedication for only a small subset of patients such as those at the highest risk for infective endocarditis.
Tennessee and Kentucky had some of the highest rates of antibiotic prescribing in the country.
Clindamycin is no longer frontline treatment due to the risks of C. diff. Despite the current research, dentists continue to prescribe Clindamycin. We encourage you to stay up to date and get involved with antibiotic stewardship.
References:
https://www.ada.org/resources/ada-library/oral-health-topics/antibiotic-prophylaxis
https://www.ada.org/resources/ada-library/oral-health-topics/antibiotic-stewardship
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31668170
https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/appropriate-antibiotic-use/for-clinicians.html