TY - JOUR
T1 - Antibiotic-associated diarrhea and the older dental patient
T2 - How do dentists respond?
AU - Zwetchkenbaum, Samuel R.
AU - Overbeck, Kevin J.
AU - Pomerantz, Sherry C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2015 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PY - 2015/11/1
Y1 - 2015/11/1
N2 - Background Gastrointestinal complications from antibiotic use, including Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), can have significant morbidity, especially among older patients. This descriptive study surveyed dentists to find out how they would respond to a patient with signs indicating potential CDI. Methods A survey on prescribing medications for older patients was mailed to 1,000 dentists in New Jersey. Questions were asked regarding antibiotic selection, probiotic use, and approach to a patient scenario of diarrhea after antibiotic use. Results Respondents chose amoxicillin most frequently as an antibiotic, and clindamycin if penicillin allergy. When informed their patients had diarrhea, 64.5% advised them to stop the antibiotic. If the patient continued to have diarrhea on follow-up, 75.5% contacted the patient's physician. Most (61.6%) do not prescribe probiotics prophylactically. Conclusions Most dentists respond appropriately to antibiotic-associated diarrhea in advising to stop the antibiotic, and seeking physician involvement if no improvement, but there are still many who make recommendations that could delay appropriate care. Dentists may wish to learn more about benefits of probiotics.
AB - Background Gastrointestinal complications from antibiotic use, including Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), can have significant morbidity, especially among older patients. This descriptive study surveyed dentists to find out how they would respond to a patient with signs indicating potential CDI. Methods A survey on prescribing medications for older patients was mailed to 1,000 dentists in New Jersey. Questions were asked regarding antibiotic selection, probiotic use, and approach to a patient scenario of diarrhea after antibiotic use. Results Respondents chose amoxicillin most frequently as an antibiotic, and clindamycin if penicillin allergy. When informed their patients had diarrhea, 64.5% advised them to stop the antibiotic. If the patient continued to have diarrhea on follow-up, 75.5% contacted the patient's physician. Most (61.6%) do not prescribe probiotics prophylactically. Conclusions Most dentists respond appropriately to antibiotic-associated diarrhea in advising to stop the antibiotic, and seeking physician involvement if no improvement, but there are still many who make recommendations that could delay appropriate care. Dentists may wish to learn more about benefits of probiotics.
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U2 - 10.1111/scd.12130
DO - 10.1111/scd.12130
M3 - Article
C2 - 26297332
SN - 0275-1879
VL - 35
SP - 279
EP - 284
JO - Special Care in Dentistry
JF - Special Care in Dentistry
IS - 6
ER -