FDI white paper: The essential role of the dental team in reducing antibiotic resistance
Published: November 2020
Authors: Wendy Thompson, David Williams, Céline Pulcini, Susie Sanderson, Philippe Calfon, Mahesh Verma
This white paper presents a framework for dental teams seeking to tackle the problem of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics are lifesaving drugs—when you need them, you need them to work. Antibiotic resistance is a global problem and growing rapidly due to widespread misuse of antibiotics, putting patients at risk for ‘superbugs’ that are difficult (and sometimes impossible) to treat with antibiotics.
The white paper highlights how dental teams can help raise awareness, prevent and control infections, and optimize the use of antibiotics through antibiotic stewardship in dentistry.
Online library of resources
Rather than providing an ‘off-the-shelf’ solution to the problem of antibiotic resistance, the white paper includes an online library of resources on antibiotic resistance and stewardship that may be adopted and/or adapted to meet local needs. The online library includes links to global resources, such as policies and educational material from the World Health Organization and from FDI, as well as national resources, such as guidelines and dental antibiotic stewardship toolkits developed by national dental associations. The online library is updated regularly to include the most recent developments and guidance from around the world.
Massive Open Online Course (MOOC): Tackling antibiotic resistance: what should dentists do?
The white paper and online library of resources is complemented by a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) developed in partnership with the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy to teach healthcare professionals (with a special focus on dental teams) about the importance of antibiotic stewardship. The course is free and open to all who would like to learn more about the danger posed by antibiotic resistance and how dental teams can meet the challenge to protect patients.