Antibiotics in Dentistry – An Art and Science

Antibiotic therapy is an art and a science. There are so many confounding variables, such as suspected pathogen, ability to establish drainage, pharmacokinetic properties of the drug, mechanism of action of the antibiotic, virulence of the infection, the current health status of the host, and host defense mechanisms, that it is not possible to make antibiotic therapy into a mechanistic technologic science. The most important decision for the dental practitioner to make is not only which antibiotic to use but whether to use one at all. This article will discuss important factors to be kept in mind while prescribing antibiotics in dentistry.