Study shows dentists prescribed unnecessary antibiotics to treat pain during the pandemic
A new study shows that dentists prescribed unnecessary antibiotics to help patients in pain during the pandemic.
Researchers based at the University of Manchester found that dentists were forced to prescribe antibiotics to help patients during lockdowns when face-to-face appointments were not available. The study has been published in the British Dental Journal.
Lead author of the study, Dr Wendy Thompson, who is a practising dentist as well as a clinical researcher, said that the Covid pandemic had caused frustration among dental professionals who wanted to use alternative treatments and procedures but were unable to due to restrictions, which prohibited face-to-face interaction.
Dr Thompson explained that in most cases, infections are not the cause of toothache and this means that antibiotics are not effective for most patients. Prescribing antibiotics stemmed from the need to help patients at a time when it was very difficult to see them in person. Many dentists were forced to switch to phone consultations and virtual calls during the early stages of the crisis when there was a shortage of PPE and the virus was spreading rapidly with no protection provided by vaccines.
In a survey, half of dentists said that they had patients turned away from urgent dental centres during the first lockdown because they hadn’t been prescribed antibiotics.
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