Purpose: Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health today. The aim of this study was to analyze antibiotic prescribing patterns and quality of prescribing in Croatian dental practices over a 5-year period. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study based on the analysis of the electronic prescriptions (medicines in ATC groups J01 and P01) from dental practices in Croatia prescribed from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2019. Prescriptions were retrieved from the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO). The analyses included the number of prescriptions, type and quantity of prescribed drugs, indication, and the patient’s and prescriber’s characteristics. Results: The consumption increased from 1.98 DID in 2015, to 2.10 DID in 2019. The most prescribed antibiotic was Amoxicillin with clavulanic acid followed by Amoxicillin, Clindamycin, Metronidazole and Cefalexin. The analyses showed that 29.79% of antibiotics were not prescribed in accordance with the contemporary guidelines for the proper use of antibiotics. Additionally, 22% of antibiotics were prescribed in inconclusive indications. Conclusion: The research showed an increase in antibiotic consumption over five years along with unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics in cases with no indications for its use. The development of national guidelines for antibiotic use is necessary.

中文翻译：

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克罗地亚牙科诊所抗生素处方模式和处方质量——五年全国研究

目的：抗生素耐药性是当今全球健康面临的最大威胁之一。本研究的目的是分析克罗地亚牙科诊所五年内的抗生素处方模式和处方质量。方法：这是一项回顾性观察研究，基于对 2015 年 1 月 1 日至 2019 年 12 月 31 日克罗地亚牙科诊所开具的电子处方（ATC J01 和 P01 组药物）的分析。处方来自克罗地亚健康保险基金（ HZZO）。分析包括处方数量、处方药物的类型和数量、适应症以及患者和处方者的特征。结果：消费量从2015年的1.98 DID增加到2019年的2.10 DID。使用最多的抗生素是阿莫西林克拉维酸，其次是阿莫西林、克林霉素、甲硝唑和头孢氨苄。分析显示，29.79%的抗生素处方没有按照当代正确使用抗生素的指南进行。此外，22% 的抗生素是在不确定的适应症中使用的。结论：研究表明，五年来抗生素消耗量有所增加，并且在没有使用指征的情况下不必要地开出抗生素处方。制定国家抗生素使用指南是必要的。