Antibiotic use in dentistry Antibiotic use in dentistry There are many circumstances during dental treatment where antibiotics are prescribed by dentists to prevent further infection (e.g. post-operative infection). The most common antibiotic prescribed by dental practitioners is penicillin in the form of amoxicillin, however many patients are hypersensitive to this particular antibiotic. Therefore, in the cases of allergies, erythromycin is used instead. Bacteraemia is a condition in which bacteria are present in the blood and may cause disease, including systemic disease such as infective endocarditis. Some dental treatments may cause bacteraemia, such as tooth extractions, subgingival scaling or even simple aggressive tooth brushing by
Dental antibiotic prophylaxis complications."Standard antibiotic regimens are routinely prescribed and taken before dental procedures to avoid systemic complications secondary to the transient bacteremia caused by manipulation of the oral tissues. Although the ADA, in collaboration with AHA and AAOS have published guidelines specifying those patients who should receive antibiotic prophylaxis, research continues to further define the role dental treatment may play in causing adverse outcomes in these patients. In the past, bacteremia caused by dental procedures (in most cases due to viridans streptococci, which reside in oral cavity), such as a cleaning or extraction of a tooth was thought to be more clinically