Antibiotics in the Management of Pulpal Diseases

Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of a microorganism to withstand the effect of antibiotics which may occur due to certain bacterial species developing resistance to antibacterial agents shortly after they are used. Moreover inappropriate prescription and use of antibiotics have been identified as major factors in the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Dentists prescribe about 10% of all the common antibiotics. The antibiotic type regimen and rationale for prescribing can greatly affect the effectiveness of the antibiotic and contribute to antibiotic resistance. Although most of the dentists were choosing appropriate antibiotics to manage endodontic infections many were prescribing antibiotics inappropriately.New generations of dentist and endodontists must be fully aware of the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance as they will be the future antibiotic prescribers. This book gives an insight into the usage of antibiotics in endodontics and how to overcome antibiotic resistance.