Read the American Dental Association's new evidence-based clinical practice guideline for prescribing antibiotics for dental pain and swelling.
Deciding when to prescribe antibiotics for dental pain and swelling just got less complicated. The evidence-based clinical practice guideline contains five recommendations for the use of antibiotics for the emergency management of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis, symptomatic apical periodontitis, and localized acute apical abscesses. This guideline also includes recommendations for when dental care is immediately available and when it is not.
More information is available online, including:
- The full guideline, published in JADA
- Two downloadable chairside guides for quick reference during exams
- An easy-to-use online tool to help direct prescribing practices
- Patient resources, including brochures and a MouthHealthy article, to help your patients better understand antibiotic stewardship
- Coming soon: A short video to show your patients to support why you are not prescribing antibiotics
Visit ADA.org/antibiotics to download the guideline and explore accompanying resources.