Primary Care Blind Spot: Antibiotic Stewardship in Dental Medicine

Dentistry accounts for roughly 10% of all antibiotic prescriptions in primary care across high-income countries, yet dental practice sits almost entirely outside the stewardship infrastructure that governs hospital and GP prescribing. The majority of acute dental infections are manageable with surgical drainage alone, but antibiotics are routinely prescribed in their place. Contested prophylaxis indications, including infective endocarditis, prosthetic joint protection, and implant surgery, generate further prescribing pressure, while the evidence base remains surprisingly thin. Meanwhile, the oral cavity, as the entry point to the gut microbiome and systemic circulation, is an underappreciated reservoir of resistance genes with consequences that extend well beyond the dental chair.This Research Topic takes a broad, interdisciplinary view of antimicrobial use and resistance across oral health, spanning clinical care, community settings, public health, microbiology, and health systems. We welcome work on prevention, diagnostics, non-antibiotic approaches, education, policy, and implementation, including research from diverse regions and resource settings that can inform action across the One Health landscape.We invite submissions including original research articles, reviews, short communications, opinion pieces, and theoretical or hypothesis-driven contributions addressing the following themes, while welcoming related work that fits the Topic’s scope:- Antibiotic prescribing: volume, appropriateness, decision-making, and global variation- Drainage or antibiotics: evidence, outcomes, and alternatives for acute dental infections- Dental prophylaxis: endocarditis, prosthetic joints, implants, and guideline gaps- Oral microbiome and resistance: resistance genes, transmission, and health impacts- Dental stewardship: practice barriers, urgent care, locum prescribing, and governance- Special populations: children, older adults, pregnancy, immunocompromise, and complex needs- Prevention and alternatives: oral health, infection control, and non-antibiotic care- Diagnostics and decision support: testing, risk assessment, guidance, and digital tools- Implementation and policy: education, interventions, regulation, surveillance, and evaluation- Global and One Health: regional differences and human, animal, and environmental links Topic editors: Mebin George Mathew, Dr Shahnawaz Khijmatgar Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86646/primary-care-blind-spot-antibiotic-stewardship-in-dental-medicine