Inappropriate Use of Antibiotics Among Dentists in Ecuador

Abstract

More than 50% of the use of antibiotics is considered inappropriate and dentists turn out to be part of the health professionals who misuse these drugs. Due to this, the objective of this study was to evaluate the prescription of antibiotics by Ecuadorian dentists after extraction of temporary teeth for systemic causes to determine the rational use of these drugs, among pediatric patients. This retrospective study used a survey of dentists in Ecuador as the primary database. The sample was obtained with the Epi Info application, with an expected frequency of 50%, a margin of error of 5% and a confidence level of 95%. Odd Ratio (OR) was used as a measure of association, obtained by logistic regression and Pearson's chi square to establish correlation. More than 11% of them mentioned having prescribed antibiotics after extracting a temporary tooth due to physiological causes. Those who most incurred this inappropriate use were male dentists, those under 30 years of age and those over 51 years of age, who work in urban areas and those who graduated from a public university and those who do not yet have a degree fourth level. The misuse or inappropriate use of antibiotics is a global problem in which many factors intervene, including the authorized prescribers of these drugs. Dentists are an important part of this problem and the factors identified in many studies are diverse.