British Dental Association send open letter to UK government urging action on unmet need and avoidable antibiotic prescribing in dentistry

Press/Media: Research

Description

In an open letter to Wes Streeting, dentists have warned that a failure to fully meet demand for urgent dental care will only increase the pressures on our health service, as antibiotics become a substitute for treatment.

The chances of a dental appointment resulting in an antibiotic prescription increased tenfold during the pandemic, and new research from the University of Manchester showseven now prescribing levels have not returned to where they would have been if the pandemic hadn’t happened. 

Period9 Mar 2025 → 12 Mar 2025

Media contributions

5

Media contributions

  • TitleDentists warn Government on dangers of antibiotic over-prescribing
    Media name/outletUoM News
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date12/03/25
    DescriptionIn an open letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, dentists have warned that a failure to fully meet demand for urgent dental care can only increase the pressures on our health service, as antibiotics become a substitute for treatment.

    The chances of a dental appointment resulting in an antibiotic prescription increased dramatically during the pandemic, and new research led by Dr Wendy Thompson from The University of Manchester shows prescribing levels across each of the UK’s four nations have been slow to return to where they would have been if the pandemic hadn’t happened.
    URLhttps://www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/dentists-warn-government-on-dangers-of-antibiotic-over-prescribing/
    PersonsWendy Thompson
  • TitleAccess crisis undermines fight against antibiotic resistance
    Media name/outletGDPUK
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date12/03/25
    DescriptionReducing the use of antibiotics in dentistry is a major part of the fight against increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

    The dental antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) toolkit for primary care was developed by the Dental Subgroup of the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) and first released in 2016.
    URLhttps://www.gdpuk.com/news/latest-news/4955-access-crisis-undermines-fight-against-antibiotic-resistance
    PersonsWendy Thompson
  • TitleDentists warn Government on dangers of over-prescribing antibiotic
    Media name/outletThe Probe
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date12/03/25
    DescriptionIn an open letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, dentists have warned that a failure to fully meet demand for urgent dental care can only increase the pressures on our health service, as antibiotics become a substitute for treatment.

    The chances of a dental appointment resulting in an antibiotic prescription increased dramatically during the pandemic, and new research led by Dr Wendy Thompson from The University of Manchester, published today, shows prescribing levels across each of the UK’s four nations have been slow to return to where they would have been if the pandemic hadn’t happened.
    URLhttps://the-probe.co.uk/blog/2025/03/dentists-warn-government-on-dangers-of-over-prescribing-antibiotic/
    PersonsWendy Thompson
  • TitleDentists 'frustrated' by overprescription of certain drug 'putting public at risk of existential threat'
    Media name/outletManchester Evening News
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date12/03/25
    Description"Frustrated" dentists are sounding the alarm over the public risk of antibiotics becoming a "substitute" for treatment.

    New research led by Dr Wendy Thompson from The University of Manchester revealed that the UK's antibiotic prescribing rates surged dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic and have been slow to return to pre-pandemic levels.
    URLhttps://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/health/dentists-frustrated-overprescription-certain-drug-31185474
    PersonsWendy Thompson
  • TitleDentists: Skimping on urgent care risks fuellingantibiotic apocalypse
    Media name/outletBritish Dental Association
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date9/03/25
    DescriptionIn an open letter to Wes Streeting, dentists have warned that a failure to fully meet demand for urgent dental care will only increase the pressures on our health service, as antibiotics become a substitute for treatment.

    The chances of a dental appointment resulting in an antibiotic prescription increased tenfold during the pandemic, and new research from the University of Manchester show seven now prescribing levels have not returned to where they would have been if the pandemic hadn’t happened.
    URLhttps://www.bda.org/media-centre/dentists-skimping-on-urgent-care-risks-fuelling-antibiotic-apocalypse/
    PersonsWendy Thompson