Systemic antibiotic prescription practices of periodontists in Chile: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Background Periodontitis is an immunoinflammatory condition of infectious etiology. Systemic antibiotic prescription is justified in specific circumstances balancing benefits and risks for patients and public health. Antibiotic resistance has been identified as an important threat to world health. There is no evidence about prescription practices amongst periodontists in Chile. The aim of this study was to describe the antibiotic prescription practices by periodontists in Chile Method A cross-sectional study was conducted. A digital self-report questionnaire was applied to periodontists affiliated to the Chilean Periodontal Society. The survey evaluated prescription practices for 12 specific clinical situations and follow-up behavior and report of adverse reactions. Results A total of 189 periodontists accepted the invitation to answer the survey. 100% of periodontists use systemic antibiotics in their clinical practice, and 14% of them prescribe them in more than 26% of their patients monthly. More than 50% prescribed amoxicillin combined with metronidazole for the treatment of periodontitis and peri-implantitis. Almost 40% of periodontists always prescribe in case of implant installation and regenerative procedures. For non-surgical periodontal therapy, the prescription frequency was very heterogeneous. The main determinants for systemic antibiotics prescription were smoking, patient systemic conditions and use of biomaterials. Also, 61.2% of periodontists reported adverse drug reactions, and 97.8% did not apply microbiological tests. Conclusion Systemic antibiotics prescription patterns varied substantially for different periodontal or peri-implant diseases and clinical procedures among respondents. According to the survey, antibiotic prescription by periodontists in Chile is a common practice and generally empirical,. Elaboration of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for rational antibiotic use are required.