Table 2.
Attitude of participating dentists toward antibiotic prescribing
| N | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| First choice antibiotic prescribed to patients allergic to penicillin (n=289)* | Spiramycin + Metronidazole | 86 | 29.8 |
| Spiramycin | 69 | 23.9 | |
| Unspecified Macrolides | 35 | 12.1 | |
| Clindamycin | 34 | 11.8 | |
| Clarithromycin | 33 | 11.4 | |
| Amoxicillin | 11 | 3.8 | |
| Cephalosporin | 10 | 3.5 | |
| Amoxicillin + Clavulanic acid | 6 | 2.1 | |
| Metronidazole | 2 | 0.7 | |
| Cetirizine | 1 | 0.3 | |
| Ciprofloxacin | 1 | 0.3 | |
| Sulphamides + Diamonopyrimidine | 1 | 0.3 | |
| First choice antibiotic prescribed to a pregnant woman (n=275)* | Amoxicillin + Clavulanic acid | 86 | 31.3 |
| Spiramycin | 53 | 19.2 | |
| Amoxicillin | 44 | 16.0 | |
| Spiramycine + Metronidazole | 8 | 2.9 | |
| Clindamycin | 4 | 1.5 | |
| Azithromycin | 2 | 0.7 | |
| Cephalosporin | 2 | 0.7 | |
| Aminosides | 1 | 0.4 | |
| Penicillines or Spiramycine + Metronidazole | 1 | 0.4 | |
| Referral to gynecologist | 74 | 26.9 | |
| First choice antibiotic prescribed to a breastfeeding woman (n=274)* | Amoxicillin + Clavulanic acid | 85 | 31.1 |
| Spiramycin | 51 | 18.6 | |
| Amoxicillin | 42 | 15.3 | |
| Spiramycine + Metronidazole | 9 | 3.3 | |
| Clindamycin | 5 | 1.8 | |
| Cephalosporin | 2 | 0.7 | |
| Gentamycin | 1 | 0.4 | |
| Penicillines or Spiramycine + Metronidazole | 1 | 0.4 | |
| Referral to gynecologist | 78 | 28.5 | |
| Frequency of referring cardiac patients to their physician when necessary (n=321)* | Always | 255 | 79.4 |
| Sometimes | 58 | 18.1 | |
| Never | 8 | 2.5 | |
| Enquire if the patient is currently taking an antibiotic before proceeding to consultation (n=320)* | Always | 278 | 86.9 |
| Often | 24 | 7.5 | |
| Sometimes | 14 | 4.4 | |
| Never | 4 | 1.3 | |
| Attitude regarding a patient who has already taken antibiotics before consultation (n=154)* | Continue antibiotic course | 85 | 55.2 |
| Action depends on the antibiotic | 32 | 20.8 | |
| Change the antibiotic | 19 | 12.3 | |
| Action depends on time (change if antibiotic taken during last month) | 8 | 5.2 | |
| Discontinue antibiotic course | 7 | 4.5 | |
| Continue antibiotic course and add vitamins | 2 | 1.3 | |
| Increase the dose | 1 | 0.6 | |
| Feeling pressure from patients to prescribe antibiotics (n=319)* | Always | 27 | 8.5 |
| Often | 43 | 13.5 | |
| Sometimes | 72 | 22.6 | |
| Never | 177 | 55.0 | |
| Factor(s) mostly influencing antibiotics prescribing behavior (n=321)*† | Previous antibiotic experience | 261 | 81.3 |
| Comorbidities of the patient | 174 | 54.2 | |
| Socio-economic status of the patient | 103 | 32.1 | |
| Price of the antibiotic | 101 | 31.5 | |
| Samples availability | 44 | 13.7 | |
| Medical representative visits | 37 | 11.5 | |
*
Valid percentages are reported;
†
Percentages may add up to more than 100%, due to multiple possible answers