antibiotic

Rethinking Routine: Do You Really Need Antibiotics After Wisdom Tooth Surgery?

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For years, it’s been common practice: get your wisdom teeth out, and walk away with a prescription for antibiotics to ward off infection. It felt like a standard part of the post-op routine. However, new research is challenging this conventional wisdom, suggesting that these prophylactic antibiotics might be largely unnecessary for most patients. A recent study published in Oral Surgery titled “Prevalence of Post-Operative Infections Related to Third Molar Surgery at an Australian University Teaching Clinic: A 5-Year Retrospective Study” (Joshal Mehta et. al. June 02 2025) originating from an Australian university teaching clinic, found surprisingly low rates of infection after wisdom teeth extractions, prompting a call for dentists to reconsider routine antibiotic use. The study, titled “Prevalence of Post-Operative Infections Related to Third Molar Surgery at an Australian University Teaching Clinic: A 5-Year Retrospective Study,” delved into the records … Read more

New Antibiotic Shows Promise in Fighting Gum Disease and Potentially Other Serious Illnesses

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A recent study published in the Journal of Oral Microbiology (Nik Yakar and et. al., Targeted elimination of Fusobacterium nucleatum alleviates periodontitis Volume 16, 2024 – Issue 1), suggests a potential breakthrough in the fight against periodontitis, a serious gum disease. Researchers found that a narrow-spectrum antibiotic, FP-100 (hygromycin A), effectively eliminates Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum), a key bacterium linked to the onset and progression of periodontitis. F. nucleatum is a particularly concerning bacterium because it has been implicated in various systemic diseases beyond gum disease, including colorectal cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. How FP-100 Works: The study demonstrated that FP-100 specifically targets F. nucleatum without significantly disrupting the overall balance of the oral microbiome. This is crucial, as broad-spectrum antibiotics can often have detrimental effects on beneficial bacteria in the mouth and gut. In both in vitro and in vivo models, FP-100 effectively … Read more

Dental extractions and surgeries can lead to endocarditis

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An interesting study titled “Antibiotic Prophylaxis Against Infective Endocarditis Before Invasive Dental Procedures,” written by Martin H. Thornill and et. al. appears in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (published online August 17, 2022). The article investigates the association between invasive dental procedures and infective endocarditis, and the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis in reducing this. In the study the authors performed a case-crossover analysis and cohort study using data from 7,951,972 million patients in the U.S. from the Commercial/Medicare Supplemental prescription and dental databases and the IBM MarketScan databases. A total of 3,744 patients in the study were hospitalized with infective endocarditis. From the patients hospitalized, 1,651 (44%) were at low or unknown risk for heart infection, 831 (22%) were at moderate risk of heart infection, and 1,292 (34%) were at high infective endocarditis risk. The overall adjusted infective endocarditis incidence within … Read more

Platelet-rich fribin may help to carry antibiotics for oral surgery

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An interesting article titled “Can platelet-rich fbrin act as a natural carrier for antibiotics delivery? A proof-of-concept study for oral surgical procedures” written by Francesco Bennardo and et. al appears in BMC Oral Health (March 9, 2023, Vol. 23, No. 134). The article seeks to investigate the role of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) as a carrier for antibiotics delivery for oral surgery. In the article the authors discuss how mntimicrobial resistance threatens globalhealth and that judicious prescribing of antibiotics by dental surgeons is needed to help prevent antibiotic resistance. Directly targeting tissues with local drug deliverystrategy has been shown in prior studies as a viable option to reduce unnecessaryantibiotics. In particular autologous platelet concentrates promote tissue healing by releasing autologous growth factors over time and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) belongsto a second-generation of this type that did need manipulation after blood collection. … Read more

Algorithmically Detecting Brain Abscess Caused by Dental Infection

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An interesting article titled “Dental focal infection-induced ventricular and spinal canalempyema: A case report” appears in the World Journal of Clinical Cases written by Hang Xue an et al. (vol. 8, no. 14, pp. 3114-3121, July 26, 2020). A discussion is made of a case report of a 53 year old woman who developed a brain abscess caused by a dental infection and how an algorithm pathogenic sequencing technique was used for diagnosis. In the article, the authors discuss the 53 year old woman from China who presented to a hopsital in 2019. She had high blood pressure for 10 years that was not well controlled even though she was taking medication and also had dental cavities for the prior three years. When she arrived at the hospital she was in narcosis and had no autonomous respiration. She had Cerebrospinal … Read more