Dental Tribune United Kindom Edition

July 30 - August 5, 201210 Book Review United Kingdom Edition All the latest Waterpik® clinical studies are available to view at www.waterpik.co.uk - clinically proven results! A ntimicrobial prescrib- ing can be a hazy sub- ject, but a new book released by the FGDPUK, An- timicrobial Prescribing for General Dental Practitioners, aims to help de-fog this im- precise topic. Throughout the book, au- thors general dental prac- titioner Dr Palmer, senior clinical lecturer Dr Longman, senior medicines information pharmacist Ms Randall, and Dr Pankhurst, a specialist in oral microbiology, all aim to im- prove the standards of patient care by providing a clear and systematic evidence-based set of guidelines. The purpose of the book is undeniably to pro- vide GDPs with clear advice on antimicrobial prescribing in an attempt to explain the often complex decision mak- ing process and therefore as- sist treatment planning and patient care. Although the book is com- prehensive, it manages to pro- vide a clear overview of the basic principles of prescrib- ing, whilst covering special- ised subject areas concerning antimicrobials. The structure of the book is presented as a guide that is split into 13 dis- tinct sections; from prescrip- tion writing to antifungal ther- apy, the authors have managed to develop a distinctive portal where they can advise dentists on the importance of antimi- crobials and how they can be a valuable tool in the treatment of infections. However, even though the individual chapters are pre- sented in a clear and straight- forward manner, this style of writing can come across as a little abrupt and combined with the lack of photographs, illustrations or patient case studies has resulted in An- timicrobial Prescribing For General Dental Practitioners occasionally becoming a little too text heavy. In the first section, Pre- scription Writing, with the authors discuss simple guide- lines regarding how to fill out a prescription; from general advice on which pens to use, right through to more specific examples, such as highlight- ing the best ways to illustrate quantities, the information is both concise and valuable In- cluded in this edition of the book for the first time the au- thors also touch on the subject of dosage recommendations for children, which is a help- ful addition for all paediatric practitioners. At the end of the chapter there is a straightfor- ward summary of the informa- tion given, which is a particu- larly useful tool, ensuring that this vital information is not ignored. In Chapter’s 2 and 3 the authors demonstrate how to identify and treat various in- fections. Chapter 3 includes an effective flow diagram to quickly and effectively con- vey the management of the viruses. The authors state the choices of antimicrobials that practitioners should be aware of, through a first, second and third choice system, thus vast- ly simplifying the decision- making process. The chapter explains where the use of an- timicrobial prescribing would be unwise, which is a practi- cal addition. The authors then follow up on this section and go on to describe the contentious is- sue of administrating antimi- crobials to prevent infection. In this section Antimicrobial Prescribing for General Den- tal Practitioners highlights the difficult ethical and medio- legal issues, affirming it is not always easy to identify over usage. It might have been as- tute to have added a specific case study at this venture, con- cerning over prescription, to further illustrate this contro- versial topic. However, help- fully the book does describe in a straightforward manner where and when prescribing the agents might be useful. The final section of Antimi- crobial Prescribing for Gen- eral Dental Practitioners il- lustrates the cases where oral health threatens the health of the rest of the body, particu- larly where the immune sys- tem is at risk. The guidelines clearly state how to target this serious issue, alleviating any confusion for the reader. The layout is different in this chapter, and the authors di- vide the differing medications and their subsequent doses in separate text boxes to give a clear and concise picture. Vastly simplifying the pro- cess of antimicrobial prescrib- ing in a clear and succinct set of guidelines, Antimicrobial Prescribing for General Den- tal Practitioners should be prescribed (no pun intended) to anyone looking to refresh their understanding about an- timicrobial prescribing. The Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) launched Antimicrobial Prescribing for General Dental Practitioners, at the British Dental Confer- ence and Exhibition in April. Speaking at the launch, Dean of the FGDP(UK) Russ Ladwa said: “This is a very timely book. I was at a talk this morning on the non-surgical treatment of periodontal dis- ease, where the speaker talked about the over-prescription and misuse of antimicrobials. As a profession we need to en- sure that antimicrobials are only prescribed when neces- sary and in the right dosage.” As well as being an essen- tial reference tool, Mr Ladwa also said that the book pro- vided practitioners with a use- ful opportunity to review how they work: “As a practition- er for over 30 years I found through reading this book at least three changes I need to make when prescribing.” The authors have reviewed all of the available data and guidance, and consulted widely with professional bod- ies and specialist groups to provide a consensus on best clinical practice. The guid- ance gives clear, simple and practical advice on when to prescribe, what to prescribe, for how long and in what dose. Editor Nikolaus Palmer said: “This book was produced to complement the BNF and provide general dental prac- titioners with an ‘in surgery’ easy to read evidence based guide on the management of dental infections. The authors hope that the advice provided in the document will promote appropriate antimicrobial prescribing in primary care and improve the standards of patient care.” Reviewed by Georgia Posner • Antimicrobial Prescribing for General Dental Practitioners Edietd by Nikolaus o Palmer, BDS MFGDP(UK) PhD FDS RCSEng FFGDP(UK), Pub- lished by Faculty of General Dental Practice UK, ISBN-10: 0-9543451-7-7 • The retail price of Antimicro- bial Prescribing for General Dental Practitioners is £20 for FGDP(UK) members and Foun- dation Dentists, and £25 for non-members of the FGDP(UK). ISBN – 10: 0-9543451-7-7 ISBN – 13: 978-0-9543451-7-4 • The Faculty of General Den- tal Practice (UK) is based at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. We provide ser- vices to help those in general dental practice to raise stand- ards of patient care. We do this through standards setting, pro- viding education courses and assessments, CPD, policy de- velopment, research, and pub- lications. Membership of the FGDP(UK) is open to dentists and other registered dental pro- fessionals. Antimicrobial Prescribing for General Dental Practitioners - book review Dean of the FGDP (UK) Russ Lawda ‘Although the book is comprehensive, it manages to provide a clear overview of the basic principles of prescribing, whilst covering specialised subject areas concerning antimicrobials’