• Olalla Vázquez-Cancela, Maruxa Zapata-Cachafeiro, Maria Teresa Herdeiro, Adolfo Figueiras, and Almudena Rodríguez-Fernández.
• Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Department of Preventive Medicine, Santiago de Compostela University Teaching Hospital, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
• Prev Med. 2024 Aug 1; 185: 108043108043.

ObjectiveThis study aims to explore dentists' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions regarding antibiotic use.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of dentists' knowledge, attitudes and perceptions regarding antibiotic use, by searching the MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science for all original paper published from January 1990 to July 2023, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA 2020) guidelines.ResultsThe review included 37 papers, (7 qualitative and 30 quantitative studies). Modifiable factors (knowledge, attitudes) were reported as being associated with antibiotic prescribing by dentists which were cited in 30 of the 37. These attitudes most frequently identified by dentists were: complacency (22/29); lack of trust (16/29); the need to postpone the dental procedure (17/29); and fear (8/29). Gaps in knowledge were also identified (15/29). Only one of the included articles quantified the influence between the reported modifiable factors and antibiotic prescribing.ConclusionsThe review emphasizes that dentists' antibiotic prescribing is predominantly influenced by modifiable factors. This insight informs the potential for targeted interventions to curtail inappropriate antibiotic use, contributing to global efforts in reducing antibiotic resistance. The protocol of this systematic review can be found in PROSPERO under registration no. CRD42021253937.Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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