A Review of Evidence-Based Recommendations for Pericoronitis Management and a Systematic Review of Antibiotic Prescribing for Pericoronitis among Dentists: Inappropriate Pericoronitis Treatment Is a Critical Factor of Antibiotic Overuse in Dentistry

Jan Schmidt, Martina Kunderova, Nela Pilbauerova and Martin Kapitan
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Jan Schmidt: Department of Dentistry, Charles University, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove and University Hospital Hradec Kralove, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
Martina Kunderova: Department of Dentistry, Charles University, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove and University Hospital Hradec Kralove, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
Nela Pilbauerova: Department of Dentistry, Charles University, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove and University Hospital Hradec Kralove, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
Martin Kapitan: Department of Dentistry, Charles University, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove and University Hospital Hradec Kralove, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-24

Abstract: This work provides a narrative review covering evidence-based recommendations for pericoronitis management (Part A) and a systematic review of antibiotic prescribing for pericoronitis from January 2000 to May 2021 (Part B). Part A presents the most recent, clinically significant, and evidence-based guidance for pericoronitis diagnosis and proper treatment recommending the local therapy over antibiotic prescribing, which should be reserved for severe conditions. The systematic review includes publications analyzing sets of patients treated for pericoronitis and questionnaires that identified dentists’ therapeutic approaches to pericoronitis. Questionnaires among dentists revealed that almost 75% of them prescribed antibiotics for pericoronitis, and pericoronitis was among the top 4 in the frequency of antibiotic use within the surveyed diagnoses and situations. Studies involving patients showed that antibiotics were prescribed to more than half of the patients with pericoronitis, and pericoronitis was among the top 2 in the frequency of antibiotic use within the monitored diagnoses and situations. The most prescribed antibiotics for pericoronitis were amoxicillin and metronidazole. The systematic review results show abundant and unnecessary use of antibiotics for pericoronitis and are in strong contrast to evidence-based recommendations summarized in the narrative review. Adherence of dental professionals to the recommendations presented in this work can help rapidly reduce the duration of pericoronitis, prevent its complications, and reduce the use of antibiotics and thus reduce its impact on patients’ quality of life, healthcare costs, and antimicrobial resistance development.

Keywords: pericoronitis; antibiotics; dentistry; antibiotic resistance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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