An Evaluation of Antimicrobial Prophylaxis for Dental Procedures at a Veterans Healthcare System; A Role for Senior Care Pharmacists?

The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of appropriate use of antibiotics before a dental procedure.
Retrospective cohort study.
Veterans Healthcare Systems.
Veterans who filled outpatient prescriptions for antimicrobial dental prophylaxis at the Veterans Administration Western New York Healthcare System from December 1, 2017, through October 1, 2019.
None.
: Use of antibiotic dental prophylaxis was deemed appropriate if in accordance with guideline recommendations. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data.
A total of 130 veterans receiving antibiotics for dental prophylaxis were included in this evaluation. Of those who were included, only 16.9% received appropriate antibiotic dental prophylaxis. Patients with a prosthetic joint were significantly more likely to be inappropriately prescribed antibiotics for dental prophylaxis. Approximately 87% of patients who were inappropriately prescribed antibiotic prophylaxis had prosthetic joints ( < .0001).
: Most antibiotics for dental prophylaxis are prescribed inappropriately. The large amount of inappropriately used antibiotics in this study highlights the need for dental stewardship in our veteran population. Antibiotics for dental prophylaxis therefore represent an important stewardship target in the outpatient setting. This may be an ideal opportunity for senior care pharmacists to intervene upon.