The prescribing of antibiotics for endodontic infections by dentists in Turkey: a comprehensive survey

Aim To investigate the antibiotic prescribing patterns for endodontic infections based on the reports of Turkish dentists. Methodology A survey consisting of 20 questions on general information and 13 questions on antibiotic prescribing patterns for endodontic cases was delivered to the e-mail addresses of general dentists and specialists via the database of the Turkish Dental Association. Collected data were analysed using Mc-Nemar-Bowker Test and multivariate ordinal logistic regression tests at the significance level of 0.05. Results A total of 1007 responses were obtained from 17 827 dentists. The majority of the participants were general dental practitioners (GDP, 80%) whilst 8% were Endodontists. Gender, clinical experience, affiliations and speciality were significant risk factors for antibiotic prescription (P < 0.05). GDPs prescribed antibiotics twice as much as all specialists and members of public hospitals prescribed antibiotics three times more than specialists and clinical academics (P < 0.05). Amoxicillin with clavulanic acid was the most prescribed antibiotic (90%), followed by Ornidazole (25%). Clindamycin was the drug of choice for the patients with penicillin allergy (59%). Infection and fever control (76%), prophylaxis (44%) and avoiding swelling and trismus during endodontic treatment (26%) were the most common reasons for antibiotic prescriptions. Completing a course of prescribed antibiotics was recommended by most (75%). Infective endocarditis, immunosuppression, artificial heart valve and mitral valve prolapse were the main causes of prophylaxis in descending order. Uncontrolled and extensive use of antibiotics by patients (62%) was mentioned as the most effective reason for antibiotic resistance. Up to 10% of participants prescribed antibiotics for symptomatic irreversible pulpitis, asymptomatic apical periodontitis with or without endodontic treatment (8, 12 and 11%, respectively). Up to 20% of dentists prescribed antibiotics for symptomatic apical periodontitis when the pulp was vital or necrotic (13 and 23%, respectively). Almost one third of the participants prescribed antibiotics for symptomatic apical periodontitis of previously treated teeth with or without radiographic lesions whilst 34% prescribed antibiotics for acute apical abscess with localized swelling without systemic involvement. Conclusions The majority of dentists reported they prescribed antibiotics inappropriately. It is necessary to improve the knowledge of dentists about antibiotics and their indications in endodontics

Integrating field-trip activities with other activities in the preschool curriculum: its effects on the preschoolers’ social–emotional skills

Abstract This study used a static-group pretest–posttest design to investigate how the social–emotional skill development of 36 Turkish children aged 48–66 months was affected by the integration of field-trip activities with other activities in their preschool curriculum. It was carried out in two preschool institutions in Ağrı Provincial Directorate for National Education over 12 weeks during the 2015–2016 school year. The experimental group (n = 18) was taken on field trips tailored to activities in the existing preschool curriculum, while for the control group (n = 18), no such interventions were made. The Preschool Social Skill Evaluation Scale—Teacher Form and the Emotional Skill Evaluation Test were used to gather data, and one-way analysis of covariance and paired-samples t-tests was used for data analysis. The pretest scores of the experimental and control groups were not significantly different, whereas their posttest scores indicated a significant positive effect of field-trip activities on the social–emotional skills of children in the experimental group. A follow-up test administered 12 weeks after the posttest found that these positive effects persisted