Article: Volume 46 Number 10 Page 952 - November 2019

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  Dental Update 472: 952-958

Periodontics:  The Role of Antimicrobials in Management of Periodontal Diseases

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Abstract: With the looming threat posed by antimicrobial resistance, appropriate prescribing of antimicrobials, including antibiotics, is increasingly relevant. In this article, the reasons why antimicrobial therapy is not the mainstay of treatment for most patients with periodontitis will be explored. Some specific exceptions to this rule will also be investigated, including why such exceptions exist. In addition, the protocols for periodontal and antimicrobial therapy to maximize the treatment response when adjuvant antimicrobials are used will be presented.

Clinical relevance: This article highlights the need for appropriate prescribing within dentistry as a whole and specifically when it comes to the management of periodontal diseases, where antimicrobials do not form the mainstay of treatment, with some exceptions.

Author notes: Bilawal Aziz Firdaus, Final Year Dental Undergraduate Student (email: BAF520@student.bham.ac.uk), Praveen Sharma, PhD, FHEA, MJDF(RCS Eng), BDS, Clinical Lecturer in Restorative Dentistry and Michael Milward, PhD, FHEA, MFGDP (Lond), MFDS RCPS(Glasg), BDS, GDC Specialist in Periodontology, Professor and Consultant in Periodontology, University of Birmingham School of Dentistry, Birmingham, B5 7EG UK.

Objective: To appreciate the importance of appropriate prescribing of antimicrobials in the context of management of periodontitis.