Knowledge and Attitude Towards Antibiotic Prescription among Dental Students

Abstract

Introduction: Antibiotics play a crucial role in dental practice for both prophylactic and therapeutic
purposes. Excessive consumption of antibiotics or using them unreasonably not only cause emergence of
resistant bacterial strains and hostile drug reactions but also create an economic liability on the overall health
system of a country.
Aim: The present study was aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitude towards usage, antibiotic
prescription and various concerns associated with antibiotics among dental students.
Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted using self-administrated questionnaire, through Google
forms using various social media platforms such as whatsapp, facebook among 202 dental students of third
year, final year, interns and postgraduates across dental colleges in Tamil Nadu, India during COVID-19
pandemic lockdown period. Statistics was done and tabulated.
Results: Our study results show that the majority of dental students are aware of antibiotic prescription, uses
of antibiotic and antibiotic resistance.
Conclusion: Though the knowledge and attitude about antibiotic prescription is high among dental students,
there are still few areas where they lack adequate knowledge; these deficits can be rectified by encouraging
them to attend cde programs, conferences related to antibiotic prescription.