Are antibiotics being used appropriately for emergency dental treatment?

Aim To investigate the therapeutic prescribing of antibiotics to patients presenting for emergency dental treatment. Design A prospective clinical study. Method Information was collected via a questionnaire concerning the patient's reason for attendance and treatment undertaken at emergency dental clinics in North and South Cheshire. Results Over an 11-week period 1,069 patients attended the five clinics, 1,011 questionnaires were analyzed. The majority of the attendees had pain (879/1011). 35% (311/879) of these patient had pulpitis and 74% (230/311) had been issued a prescription for antibiotics, without any active surgical intervention. The principal antibiotic prescribed for both adult and child patients was amoxicillin. Conclusion The majority of patients attending the emergency dental clinics had pain, with a large proportion having localised infections either as pulpitis or localised dental abscess. Three quarters of these patients had no surgical intervention and were inappropriately prescribed antibiotics.