Bacterial resistance is considered a consequence of misuse or overuse of antibiotics. Dentistry significantly contributes to this increasing public health problem. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the pattern of antibiotics prescribed by Croatian dentists in Zagreb area. Out of 220 Doctors of Dental Medicine (DMDs) from Zagreb 110 responded to survey. Prior to the research an ethical approval was obtained. Participants were directly contacted. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: general data on DMDs and the part concerning indications, duration, type and dosage of antibiotic therapy. Data were processed using MS Excel and SPSS for Windows, Version 17.0. Statistical significance was tested by Fisher's exact test, chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman's rank correlation at the level of statistical significance p<0.05. During the period of two months, the doctors prescribed antibiotics to 1,500 patients, 690 (46%) were men and 810 (54%) women. The most often prescribed antibiotics were penicillin (72.5% of patients), represented mostly by amoxicillin in combination with clavulanic acid (57.6%). The most common indication for the prescribed antibiotics was periapical or periodontal abscess (44%). Definite clinical indication (71.2%) was stated as the most common reason for antibiotic prescription. Antibiotic therapy usually lasted 7 days (62.9%). The doctors prescribed daily doses of antibiotics according to the instructions for the use of specific drugs. The examined subjects prescribe antibiotics according to the curriculum taught at the School of Dental Medicine for majority of types, doses and duration of the treatments, although antibiotics over-prescription in cases without medical indication was observed. The national guidelines on antibiotic regimens are required in order to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use.

Background: This study assessed the effects of weekly vitamin D (VD) supplementation on clinical and biological parameters after scaling and root planning (SRP) in the treatment of periodontitis and served to validate the VD dosage regimen. Methods: It was a monocentric, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial with 6 months follow-up. Healthy Caucasian periodontitis patients presenting serum 25(OH) vitamin D3 below 30 ng/mL were randomly allocated to test group (SRP + VD 25,000 international units (IU)/week) or the control group (SRP + placebo). Results: A total of 59 patients were screened, 27 were included and 26 completed 3 months (M) and 21 completed 6M control. Test (n = 13) and control groups (n = 14) had similar 25(OH) vitamin D3 levels at baseline (17.6 ± 7.4 vs. 14.4 ± 5.2, respectively). After one month, there was a significant difference between groups (32.9 ± 5.2 vs. 16.1 ± 4.7), also seen at M3 and M6 (t-test, p < 0.001). Periodontal treatment was successful in both groups, since it resulted in a reduction of all measured clinical parameters at M3 and M6 (probing pocket depth (PPD), full mouth bleeding and plaque). However, the reduction in PPD was greater in the test group. Conclusions: In this short-term pilot study, no significant differences were observed between two groups. However, supplementation with VD tended to improve the treatment of periodontitis in patients with initial 25(OH) vitamin D3 < 30 ng/mL and proved safe and efficacious. NCT03162406.

Objectives: To determine the efficacy of four different oral hygiene protocols involving adjunctive interdental devices in terms of plaque and bleeding scores in periodontitis‐affected patients.Material and methods: This was a randomized clinical trial with a 5‐week follow‐up, including previously treated periodontitis patients not undergoing any supportive care. Patients were randomly allocated to 4 groups: manual toothbrush (group TB); toothbrush plus dental floss (group TB/F); toothbrush plus interdental brushes (group TB/IDB) and toothbrush plus rubber interdental picks (group TB/RIDB). Oral hygiene instructions (OHI) were provided at baseline (T‐7) and at T0 (1‐week) then bi‐weekly (T14/T28). At T0, supragingival professional cleaning was delivered. Plaque and bleeding indexes were taken at all timepoints by a single calibrated examiner, blind to group allocation.Results: At T‐7, patients were comparable for age, body mass index (BMI) and all clinical parameters, exceptions for the Interdental Angulated Bleeding Index. At T28, significant reductions of plaque and gingival inflammation were noted in all groups (p < 0.001) and within the expected ranges. Intergroup comparisons identified that group TB/IDB and group TB/RIDB achieved lower levels of plaque and inflammation than group TB (p < 0.05). Group TB/IDB and group TB/RIDB showed lower levels of plaque and lower inflammation as measured by angulated bleeding index than group TB/RIDB (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Interdental brushes and rubber interdental picks were more efficient than toothbrushing alone and toothbrushing and floss in reducing plaque and gingival inflammation measured in a periodontitis‐affected population.