(PO06) Retrospective Assessment of Antibiotics Prescribed for Three Endodontic Diagnoses

Abstract: We analyzed the frequency of antibiotics prescribed for three endodontic diagnoses: pulpal necrosis with symptomatic apical periodontitis (PN/SAP); symptomatic irreversible pulpitis with symptomatic apical periodontitis (SIP/SAP); and symptomatic irreversible pulpitis with normal apical tissues (SIP/NAT), among patients seen at the Creighton University School of Dentistry (CUSoD) between January 2012 and December 2019. AxiUm data mining was conducted to determine the frequency of antibiotics prescribed for the above conditions, organized by patients’ age, gender, diagnosis, diabetes, and smoking habits. Descriptive statistics were tabulated for the variables under investigation. Chi-squared and logistic regression models were utilized to compare categorical variables with complex outcomes and to predict antibiotic prescriptions. A total of 4,035 patients (4,878 teeth) with potential endodontic involvement were considered. Antibiotics were prescribed for a total of 807 patients. Penicillin V (44%) was the most frequently prescribed antibiotic, followed by amoxicillin (32%) and clindamycin (20.1%). Among the variables assessed in this study, gender and diagnosis showed statistical significance: females were significantly more likely to receive an antibiotic prescription than males (p < .001), and antibiotics were most frequently prescribed for teeth diagnosed with PN/SAP (p < .001). Overall, antibiotic use at the CUSoD over a seven-year period was comparable to antibiotic use recommendations as reported by the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) 2000 and 2016 National Surveys. Moreover, antibiotics were mainly prescribed as an adjuvant for treating necrotic pulp with acute apical periodontitis, which falls among one of the more common conditions identified for antibiotic therapy.