Antibiotic prescribing and COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted progress on this.
A
surge in dental antibiotic prescribing occurred after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In England, there was an increase of 18.4 per cent in dental antibiotic prescribing in May 2020, compared to the same month in 2019, with rates peaking across the country in June 2020.
Before the pandemic, significant progress had been made in reducing the number of dental prescriptions for antibiotics across the UK. Figures published by the
English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance (ESPAUR), for example, show that dental practices dispensed around a quarter fewer prescriptions for antibiotics in 2017 compared to 2013.
A failure to address the problem of
antibiotic resistance could result in ten million deaths, every year, globally by 2050. As the pandemic continues and into the future, it is essential that dentists are supported to once again reduce the rate of antibiotics prescribed.
Antibiotic prescribing audit tool for dentists
Dentists have an important role to play in fighting antimicrobial resistance. We must get back to the progress we were making before the pandemic.
This clinical tool will help you do a simple audit for your antibiotic prescribing actions or do a more comprehensive review of your management of dental infections.
Antibiotic prescribing tool
Note: This tool is an MS Excel (.xlsm) spreadsheet - we recommend downloading the file to a desktop computer (right-click and 'save as') to use it. This tool was developed by the
Dental Subgroup of ESPAUR, which includes representatives from the BDA, FGDP, ACOM and BASCD.
It is designed to be used with the
FGDP's Antimicrobial Prescribing for GDPs (available free from the
BDA Library for members), to ensure you are prescribing according to the current guidance.
What is the BDA doing about antibiotic prescribing in dentistry?
The Department of Health and Social Care has launched a
5-year action plan and a 20-year vision for tackling antibiotic resistance, and the BDA contributed to their development. But concrete steps are needed to support the fight against antimicrobial resistance in dentistry.
That’s why we’ve set out the case for
capital funding for practices to deliver the ventilation systems that can reduce fallow time and expand access. E-prescribing would also allow us to monitor dental antibiotic prescribing more effectively.
We’ve called on government to
commit to properly funded urgent care slots to reduce the pressure to prescribe antibiotics when they are not indicated. This will allow dentists to establish a differential diagnosis and provide appropriate interventive treatment when required, rather than prescribe antibiotics.
We are lobbying for public engagement on the issue of antimicrobial resistance. Each November, we support the
World Health Organisation's Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week and the
European Antibiotic Awareness Day.
We are part of Public Health England's dental working group on antimicrobial utilisation and resistance. We also continue to work collaboratively towards the
One Health goals alongside medical, pharmaceutical, veterinary and international colleagues.
We are working with the
Council of European Dentists and the
FDI World Dental Federation to ensure cohesive action across Europe and globally. Through working together we hope to make a bigger impact and ensure patients are treated effectively.
Antibiotic prescribing resources for dentists
Guidance and data:
Reports and action plans:
Resources for patients:
