Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a global problem. In Japan, the AMR Action Plan was enacted in 2016, under which medical institutions are required to monitor trends in the use of antimicrobial agents and promote their appropriate use. Although efforts to ensure proper use have been made in medical departments, in dentistry it has been pointed out that the situation and frequency of unnecessary use of antimicrobial agents have not been sufficiently investigated. In this study, we investigated the use of oral antimicrobials for outpatients in pediatric dental practice among dental colleges and university hospitals in Japan.

The subjects were patients aged between 1 and 16 years who visited the pediatric dental outpatient clinics of 18 hospitals and were prescribed oral antimicrobials from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2018. The names of the antimicrobial agents, the procedures performed on the day of prescription, and the total number of patients under 16 years of age were counted. In addition, we asked the participating hospitals to voluntarily survey the details of the prescription (dosage and administration, name of disease). The number of days of therapy (DOT) was calculated from the number of days of use, and the reason for use was determined from the name of the disease.

The results of this study showed that the use of third-generation cephalosporin antibiotics has decreased, whereas the use of penicillin has increased in pediatric dental practice. However, the total amount of antimicrobials used has not decreased. In most cases, antimicrobial agents were used for the treatment of dental infections.