Antibiotic misuse Antibiotic misuse Antibiotic misuse, sometimes called antibiotic abuse or antibiotic overuse, refers to the misuse or overuse of antibiotics, with potentially serious effects on health. It is a contributing factor to the development of antibiotic resistance, including the creation of multidrug-resistant bacteria, informally called "super bugs": relatively harmless bacteria (such as staphylococcus, enterococcus and acinetobacter) can develop resistance to multiple antibiotics and cause life-threatening infections. Antibiotics have been around since 1928 when penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming. In the 1980s, antibiotics that were determined medically important for treatment of animals could be approved under veterinary oversight. In 1996, the
Dental antibiotic prophylaxis conditions for which clinicians recommended antibiotic prophylaxis, although there is no evidence to support this practice. These conditions include renal dialysis shunt, cerebrospinal fluid shunt, vascular graft, immunosuppression secondary to cancer and cancer chemotherapy, systemic lupus erythematosus, and type 1 diabetes mellitus. It is of importance to dental patients and practitioners to remain current with regards to the latest recommendations rendered by professional governing bodies such as the American Dental Association (ADA), American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Association of Orthopaedic surgeons (AAOS). Antibiotic prophylaxis is intended to avoid adverse outcomes in certain patients at "highest risk of postoperative