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Prescribers | Dental Team | Policymakers | Patients

Antibiotic stewardship is the effort:

  • To measure antibiotic prescribing 
  • To improve antibiotic prescribing by clinicians and use by patients so that antibiotics are only prescribed and used when needed 
  • To minimize misdiagnoses or delayed diagnoses leading to the underuse of antibiotics
  • To ensure that the right drug, dose, and duration are selected when an antibiotic is needed

Improving antibiotic prescribing and use is critical to effectively treat infections, protect patients from harms caused by unnecessary antibiotic use, and combat antibiotic resistance.

CDC’s Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship offers providers and facilities a set of key principles to guide efforts to improve antibiotic use and, therefore, advance patient safety and improve outcomes. These frameworks complement existing guidelines and standards from key healthcare partner organizations, including the Infectious Diseases Society of America, Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, American Society of Health System Pharmacists, Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists, and The Joint Commission.

Below are a series of antibiotic stewardship resources for dental prescribers, dental team members, patients receiving dental care, and policymakers.

Antibiotic Stewardship for Prescribers    Antibiotic Stewardship for the Dental Team
Antibiotic Stewardship for Policymakers    Antibiotic Stewardship for Patients

 

2025 Antibiotic Stewardship Summit

The Association for Dental Safety (ADS), with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has collected impactful emerging research and successful antibiotic stewardship programs from across the country. The research and successes to be shared are from a wide variety of federal and educational institutions, small and large dental practices, and state policy makers, and will be spotlighted at the third annual Antibiotic Stewardship Summit on February 2, 2025, in Atlanta, GA. Learn more and register today!

2024 Antibiotic Stewardship Summit     

The second annual national ADS Antibiotic Stewardship Summit, held in February 2024, addressed antibiotic stewardship in the oral healthcare setting. In this program, guidelines for the use of antibiotics for prophylaxis and treatment of oral infections were reviewed, the development of antibiotic resistance, adverse reactions, and C. diff were reviewed, and challenges to responsible prescribing were discussed. Participants received numerous clinical tips, tools, and resources to develop and implement antibiotic stewardship programs in their practice. 

On-demand recordings are available for FREE! Click here to register.