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Antimicrobial Resistance in Dentistry

BDJ Student volume 32, pages 58–59 (2025)Cite this article

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Resistance occurs when microbes no longer respond to these medicines, making standard treatment ineffective. Certain infections are then more difficult or even impossible to treat, leading to increased incidences of severe illness and death. This, alongside resistant bacterial genes being able to spread, presents a danger to public health - The World Health Organisation has declared AMR as one of the top ten global public health threats.1

  • It is estimated that AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and has contributed to 4.95 million deaths2

  • Estimates say 700,000 people die of antibiotic-resistant infections each year and that, by 2050, the cumulative global cost will be 30 million lives and between $60 and $100 trillion3

  • AMR affects countries in all regions and at all income levels. Poverty and inequality exacerbate its drivers and consequences, and low- and middle-income countries are most affected2

  • Dentists working in NHS primary care in England prescribe nearly 9% of all oral antimicrobials prescribed in primary care.3

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References

  1. NHS England. Antimicrobial resistance. 2025. Available from: https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/prevention/antimicrobial-resistance-amr/ (accessed February 2025).

  2. World Health Organisation. Antimicrobial resistance. 2023. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance (accessed February 2025).

  3. Palmer N O A. Antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic prescribing in dental practice. Dent Update 2016; 43: 954-960.

  4. Uddin T, Chakraborty A J, Khusro A, et al. Antibiotic resistance in microbes: History, mechanisms, therapeutic strategies and future prospects. J Infect Public Health 2021; 14: 1750-1766.

  5. World Health Organisation. Causes of antibiotic resistance. 2017. Available from: https://www.who.int/europe/multi-media/item/causes-of-antibiotic-resistance (accessed February 2025).

  6. Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP). Bacterial infections: drug prescribing in dentistry. 2025. Available from: https://www.sdcepdentalprescribing.nhs.scot/guidance/bacterial-infections/ (accessed February 2025).

  7. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Antimicrobial stewardship: systems and processes for effective antimicrobial medicine use [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2025 Feb 10]. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng15/

  8. Palmer N. Antimicrobial prescribing in dentistry: good practice guidelines. 3rd ed. London (UK): Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) and Faculty of Dental Surgery; 2020.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Peninsula Dental School, Plymouth, United Kingdom

    Erika Fernandez & Amy Sharp

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  1. Erika Fernandez
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  2. Amy Sharp
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Correspondence to Erika Fernandez.

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Fernandez, E., Sharp, A. Antimicrobial Resistance in Dentistry. BDJ Student 32, 58–59 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41406-025-1496-x

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