There is a major concern about the increased use of antibiotics in dental practice and the emergence of resistant bacterial strains. In recent years, dentists have reported a shift from narrow-spectrum to broad-spectrum antibiotic prescriptions due to increasing antibiotic resistance. The aims of this study are to investigate the prescribing patterns of the therapeutic and prophylactic use for antibiotics in various dental situations by dental practitioners. The study also specifically investigates the prescribing habits of dental practitioners regarding certain cardiac conditions and related dental procedures in patients predisposed to infective endocarditis. This study utilized a questionnaire which was designed to investigate the antibiotic prescribing patterns by dental practitioners in the Klang Valley region. The returned questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS, to identify compliance to antibiotic guidelines by Malaysia National Clinical Guidelines (MNCG) (2003) and American Heart Association Guidelines (AHAG) (2008). 217 dentists responded to the questionnaire and the responses show that there is a wide variety of antibiotic prescriptions among dentists and there is also misuse of antibiotics in some clinical dental conditions. The results also show that there is a large variation in the antibiotic prescriptions patterns for prophylaxis against infective endocarditis. Furthermore, there is uncertainty as to which cardiac conditions required prophylaxis and for which particular dental procedures. This study concludes that there is a clear need for the development of prescribing guidelines, regular monitoring of antibiotic prescriptions by dental practitioners and educational initiatives to encourage the rational and appropriate use of the antibiotics.
Introduction: Lipid-modifying drugs have been used to treat dyslipidemia as well as for the primary
and secondary prevention of CVDs and stroke. Objectives: This study aims to describe the drug
utilization pattern of lipid-modifying drugs in a private hospital. Method: A retrospective study was
carried out in outpatient of the selected hospital. Patients were selected based on inclusion and
exclusion criteria by using convenience sampling. Data were collected through KCIS by retrieving
patients’ registration number. Defined daily dose (DDD) was calculated and compared to World
Health Organization DDD. Medicine prices were also analysed. Results: A total of 180 patients’
record were analysed, 70% of them were male; 40.6% of the patients were from the age range of 50
to 59 years old; ethnicity breakdown was Malay (69.4%), Indian (18.3%) and Chinese (12.2%).
Among all lipid-modifying drugs, utilization of statins was the highest as statins are the preferred
line in the treatment of dyslipidemia. Innovator brands were more preferred where most of the lipidmodifying
drugs used in the selected hospital are innovator brand drugs. In terms of cost, lipidmodifying
drugs contributes to about 27% of the total cost of prescription in average. Conclusion:
The utilization of all lipid-modifying drugs in the selected hospital was lower as compared to WHO
DDD. As compared to combination therapy, monotherapy with atorvastatin was generally preferred
in the selected hospital. The utilization of atorvastatin was found to be the highest in the OPD of the
selected hospital.