amoxicillin

Taking Antibiotics Before Dental Visits Unnecessary in the Majority of Cases and May Cause Serious Side Effects

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Whether or not someone should or should not take any antibiotics prior to dental visits such as wisdom teeth surgery is often a question that comes up. The purpose of doing so would be to potentially prevent an infection from developing from teh dental procedure. Research spearheaded by a group at the University of Illinois at Chicago shows that in the majority of cases antibiotics given before dental visits are not needed and instead can lead to serious side effects. The researchers presented results in October 2019 during IDWeek 2019, which is the Infectious Diseases Society of America’s annual meeting conducted in Washington, DC. The researchers also presented results in an article titled “Assessment of the Appropriateness of Antibiotic Prescriptions for Infection Prophylaxis Before Dental Procedures, 2011 to 2015” published on May 31, 2019 in JAMA Network Open (Suda et … Read more

The Effect of a Single Dose of Antibiotics Prior to Wisdom Teeth Surgery

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An interesting article titled “A Systematic Review on Effect of Single-Dose Preoperative Antibiotics at Surgical Osteotomy Extraction of Lower Third Molars” appears in the 2016 Journal of Oral and Maxilofacial Surgery and written by Karoline Brørup Marcussen and et. al. (vol. 74, pp. 693-703). The authors sought to conduct a systematic review of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness of a single dose of preoperative antibiotics for preventing infection and alveolar osteitis [dry socket] in lower wisdom tooth surgery performed with osteotomy. Using antibiotic prophylaxis to reduce the incidence and severity of postoperative complications in surgical removal of impacted lower wisdom teeth is controversial. All randomized controlled trials  (RCTs) evaluating the effect of all types of prophylactic antibiotics administered 20 to 120 minutes preoperatively versus no antibiotics or placebo on the incidence of infection after surgical removal of lower impacted wisdom up to 1 week after surgery, were reviewed by the authors. In the search, 196 search hits were found. … Read more

Avoiding Amoxicillin During Wisdom Teeth: What are the Possible Problems

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An interesting article titled “Dental Care Professionals Should Avoid the Administration of Amoxicillin in Healthy Patients During Third Molar Surgery: Is Antibiotic Resistence the Only Problem?” appears in the 2016 Journal of Oral and Maxilofacial Surgery written by Othoniel H. Aragon-Martinez and et al. (vol. 74, pp. 1512-1513). The authors attempt to explain why amoxicillin should not be used during wisdom teeth surgery. Amoxicillin is commonly used to prevent infections. Information from high quality clinical trials has shown that amoxicillin is not effective to reduce the risk of wound infections when it is received both preoperatively and postoperatively.  Recent evidence has shown that the administration of 250 mg of amoxicillin in healthy volunteers every 8 hours for 7 days produces  antibiotic resistance. The authors also discuss the topic of dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is a detrimental modification in the composition of the microbiome alongside altered microflora functions, which can be produced by antibiotic exposure, … Read more

How Effective is Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Oral Procedures

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An interesting article titled “Effectiveness of Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Preventing the Spread of Infection as a Result of Oral Procedures: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” appears in the 2016 Journal of Oral and Maxilofacial Surgery written by J. A. Moreno-Drada and H. A. Garcia-Perdomo (vol. 74, pp. 1313-1321). The article seeks to explore the effectiveness of prophylactic antibiotics (such as amoxicillin) for preventing localized infections of the oral cavity, neck, and thoracic cavity in patients undergoing oral procedures. Bacteremia is well known to occur after dental procedures. Severe complications as a result of infections from bacteremia have been reported. Based on expert opinions, it has been recommended that prophylaxis be given to patients at high risk before manipulation of the gingiva or periapical region of the teeth and before perforation of the oral mucosa during dental procedures. However the use of prophylactic antibiotics is controversial. In some cases this could lead to antiobiotic resistance. In the face of bacterial … Read more

Exploring Giving Antibiotics Before Third Molar Surgery (Wisdom Teeth Removal) in Spain

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An issue that one asks when having third molar surgery (wisdom teeth removal) is one whether should have antibiotics administered before or after surgery (or not at all). See for example http://www.teethremoval.com/antibiotic_resistance.html In a recent article appearing in J Evid Base Dent Pract 2012, issue 12, pp. 149-150, Manal A. Awad, reviewed a study exploring amoxicillin administration to those who were having wisdom teeth extracted. The original study was titled “Efficacy of amoxicillin treatment in preventing postoperative complications in patients undergoing third molar surgery: a prospective, randomized, double-blind controlled study,” by Lopez-Cedrun JL, Pijoan JI, Fernandez S, and Santamaria J, Hernandez G and appeared in the electronic 2011 version pages 5 -14, issue 69, number 6. It is well known that amoxicillin is useful in treating oral infections. In the study 123 healthy patients between the ages of 18 and … Read more