Self-medication with antibiotics: A knowledge, attitude, and practice appraisal of 610 dental patients in Chennai, India, from 2016 to 2017

INTRODUCTION: Antibiotics are considered the most commonly sold drugs in developing countries. In India, these drugs are very much accessible without a prescription. This irrational and misuse of antibiotics results not only in the emergence of resistance of bacterial strains but also leads to adverse reactions. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of antibiotics usage among dental patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study design: This study was a cross-sectional design; a prevalidated structured questionnaire comprising 24 questions was used. SAMPLE SIZE: Six hundred and ten patients visiting a dental hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, were included in the study. RESULTS: The dental patients involved in self-medication were more than 70%. 80.2% of the study group opted selection of antibiotics from their previous prescription from dental or medical professional. Adverse effects were faced by 7.8% of patients on taking self-medication. The study group was aware of the common dental procedures such as extraction and root canal treatment in which antibiotics were commonly prescribed. Half of the patients (53.8%) do not know the term antibiotic misuse, and 43.3% of the group opted antibiotic misuse to be unacceptable. CONCLUSION: The study revealed the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the patients about self-medication in the Indian scenario. There is need for health-care professionals and government bodies to enlighten the public about the harmful effects of self-medication with antibiotics to overcome the antibiotic resistance.