Journal vol.6 no.1 abstract3 of The Japan Health Care Dental Association

The Journal of The Japan Health Care Dental Association Vol.6 No.1, 2004
abstract

Takanari Miyamoto, Yusuke Takahashi, Hiromichi Yumoto

In Japan, antibiotics are frequently administered post-operatively for routine oral surgery and periodontal procedures to prevent infection. Recent studies support a growing concept, based upon evidence-based medicine (EBM), that the non-discriminant use of antibiotics is warranted and has no scientific basis. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their nosocomial transmission have become a major issue affecting public health. Europe and the United States have dealt with the practice of over-prescribing antibiotics by recommending that health care provides consider the appropriateness, efficacy, and need for the antibiotics prior to administration. These guidelines have seemed to stem the emergence and transmission of antibiotic-resistant strains.
This review will describe the mechanisms by which antibiotic-resistance is developed and show the frequency at which these bacteria are propagated and transmitted. A brief historical perspective of antibiotic administration will be followed by a proposal protocol for the prescription of antibiotics that is currently in use at Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine. Finally a comparative analysis of the clinical use of antibiotics in the United States and Japan will be presented.
We hope that this literature review will set the stage for the establishment of a consensus regarding the administration of antibiotics that will be based upon EBM.