Prescribing self-audit tool re-launched as five-year antibiotics plan unveiled

The news coincides with the launch of the government’s five-year action plan and 20-year vision for antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and the update is intended to help the dental profession play its part in tackling AMR by further reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.

Poor prescribing practice and misuse of antibiotics are contributing to an increasing incidence of multi-drug-resistant infections, causing an estimated 700,000 deaths each year worldwide. The government predicts this toll could rise to 10 million by 2050, and its plan includes a target to reduce the use of antibiotics in humans by 15 per cent over the next five years and to “contain and control AMR” by 2040.

Dentists issue around five to seven per cent of NHS antibiotic prescriptions, and the Antimicrobial Prescribing Self-Audit Tool consists of a data collection sheet together with a comprehensive guide enabling them to complete a clinical audit of their prescribing and their management of dental infections.