Antibiotics for dental procedures linked to C. difficile infection.

Antibiotics for dental procedures linked to C. difficile infection. Researchers in Minnesota identified a potentially overlooked source of Clostridium difficile infection: antibiotics prescribed by dentists. Antibiotics can kill microbes that protect against infection in the gastrointestinal tract, potentially leading to C. difficile infection (CDI), which the CDC has designated as one of three “high-consequence” antibiotic-resistant threats requiring urgent public health attention. Antibiotics prescribed by dentists may contribute to the problem, according to study findings summarized here by Stacy Holzbauer, DVM, MPH, epidemiology field officer for the CDC and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Holzbauer and colleagues studied the antibiotic history of over 1,600 patients in Minnesota with community-acquired CDI and found that 15% had taken antibiotics for dental procedures over a 6-year period. Most of these patients — 85% — had taken antibiotics only for dental reasons, Holzbauer said. And for many, the prescriptions did not appear in their medical records, which Holzbauer said illustrates “a disconnect between dental and medical providers.” Dentists have often been overlooked as major partners in programs that promote appropriate antibiotic use, and it’s critical that they are included in efforts to improve antibiotic prescribing,” Holzbauer said during a news conference at IDWeek. “Antibiotics are not harmless medications. C. diff is a known complication.more