|
 Even though patients with toothaches are often prescribed
antibiotics to help ease symptoms and prevent worsening of the
problem, healthy adults should generally have dental treatment
instead of antibiotics, according to the ADA guidance published in
the Journal of the American Dental Association.
"Antibiotics should not be used until an infection progresses enough
that it can no longer be treated with only dental treatment like a
nonsurgical root canal," said Peter Lockhart, chair of the ADA
expert panel that developed the guidelines and a research professor
at Carolinas Medical Center - Atrium Health in Charlotte, North
Carolina. "Signs and symptoms of this progression include fever,
swollen lymph nodes, facial swelling and extreme tiredness."
These recommendations apply to healthy adults, and are not intended
to stop antibiotic use altogether, according to the ADA guidelines.
The intent is to minimize overuse and the rise of more
antibiotic-resistant infections by limiting antibiotic use to cases
when these drugs are absolutely necessary.
Dental pain and swelling are the most common reason that patients go
to the emergency room or doctor's office for oral health problems,
according to the ADA. Patients may have occasional sharp pain and a
fever, or they might experience constant dull or severe pain.
Dentists and physicians often prescribe antibiotics to relieve
dental pain and intraoral swelling. General and specialty dentists
are the third highest prescribers of antibiotics in all outpatient
settings in the United States, according to the ADA.
[to top of second column] |
Studies have shown that antibiotics, which are designed to stop or
slow the growth of bacterial infections, don't necessarily help
patients experiencing a toothache, according to the ADA. In
addition, antibiotics can cause serious side effects, and overuse
has resulted in bacterial strains that are resistant to antibiotics.
Antibiotics may still make sense when dental treatment isn't
immediately available and the patient has signs and symptoms of an
urgent problem like a fever, swollen lymph nodes, or extreme
exhaustion, according to the ADA.
But in most cases when adults have a toothache and access to dental
treatment, antibiotics may actually do more harm than good, Lockhart
said.
"While evidence on the benefits of antibiotics for toothaches is
limited, it does show that antibiotics can harm patients," Lockhart
said by email. "Furthermore, we know that dental treatments can
treat toothaches with little to no risk to the patient or
community."
Pain from a toothache may be eased by over-the-counter remedies like
acetaminophen and ibuprofen, the ADA advises.
"Additionally, the purpose of a dental procedure, like a nonsurgical
root canal, is to remove the source of the infection," Lockhart
said. "It is similar to removing a small infected splinter from
under the skin, eliminating the need for antibiotics."
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2pnLSYk Journal of the American Dental
Association, online October 28, 2019.
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
