Take a Bite out of Unnecessary Urgent Care Antibiotic Prescriptions

A lesson in reducing unnecessary prescriptions for antibiotics could be gleaned from a new study based in a large academic dental practice, of all places. It showed a 73% decrease in antibiotic prescribing vs baseline. The study population included 635 Medicaid members who sought urgent care for oral complaints at Illinois’ largest oral healthcare provider. Before the mandated intervention (patient and provider education and clinical guideline development), 8.5% of visits included a prescription for an antibiotic; postintervention, the rate fell to 2.3%. Dentists account for around 10% of antibiotic prescriptions written in the United States, typically as a prophylactic measure before or after a procedure, as well as for diagnosed oral infection. The study was published in Open Forum Infections Disease.