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Antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance – a critical and timely challenge for dentistry and oral healthcare

British Dental Journal volume 239, pages 704–705 (2025)Cite this article

Key points

  • Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) caused 1.14 million direct and 4.71 million associated deaths worldwide in 2021; annual deaths could double by 2050.

  • Dentistry is responsible for about 10% of antibiotic prescriptions and large-scale use of antiseptics, making it crucial to AMR prevention efforts.

  • AMR reduction requires a multisectoral One Health strategy that includes expanded prevention, rapid care access, and strong antimicrobial stewardship in dentistry.

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References

  1. GBD 2021 Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators. Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990–2021: a systematic analysis with forecasts to 2050. Lancet 2024; 404: 1199–1226.

  2. Gargate N, Laws M, Rahman K M. Current economic and regulatory challenges in developing antibiotics for Gram-negative bacteria. NPJ Antimicrob Resist 2025; 3: 50.

  3. Thompson W, Cieplik F, Teoh L, Jakubovics N, Benzian H. Fighting the antimicrobial resistance global emergency: the lifesaving role of dentistry. J Dent Res 2025; 104: 933–935.

  4. Daller B, Auer D L, Buchalla W et al. Genomic and transcriptomic adaptation to chlorhexidine in Streptococcus spp. J Dent Res 2025; 104: 851–861.

  5. Anderson A C, von Ohle C, Frese C et al. The oral microbiota is a reservoir for antimicrobial resistance: resistome and phenotypic resistance characteristics of oral biofilm in health, caries, and periodontitis. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob 2023; 22: 37.

  6. Bartsch S, Scholz K J, Al-Ahmad A, Cieplik F. Oral microbiome, symbiosis, dysbiosis and microbiome intervention for maintaining oral and systemic health. Adv Exp Med Biol 2025; 1472: 261–275.

  7. World Health Organization. Implementing the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance. 2023. Available at https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/375008/9789240074668-eng.pdf?sequence=1 (accessed 25 August 2025).

  8. World Health Organization. Global Strategy and Action Plan on Oral Health 2023–2030. 2024. Available at https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/376623/9789240090538-eng.pdf?sequence=1 (accessed 25 August 2025).

  9. Thompson W, Williams D, Pulcini C, Sanderson S, Calfon P, Verma M. Tackling antibiotic resistance: why dentistry matters. Int Dent J 2021; 71: 450–453.

  10. International Association of Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research. Policy statement on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). 2025. Available at https://www.iadr.org/science-policy/policy-statement-antimicrobial-resistance-amr (accessed 25 August 2025).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, Center for Dental Medicine, Medical Center & Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Germany

    Fabian Cieplik, Konstantin J. Scholz & Ali Al-Ahmad

Authors
  1. Fabian Cieplik
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  2. Konstantin J. Scholz
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  3. Ali Al-Ahmad
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Fabian Cieplik, Konstantin J. Scholz or Ali Al-Ahmad.

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Cite this article

Cieplik, F., Scholz, K. & Al-Ahmad, A. Antimicrobial resistance – a critical and timely challenge for dentistry and oral healthcare. Br Dent J 239, 704–705 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-025-9380-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-025-9380-1

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