Antibiotic Prescribing Attitudes Among South African Dental Teachers

A survey of 61 clinical teachers at a South African dental faculty, conducted from September 2024 to March 2025, assessed knowledge and practices regarding antimicrobial resistance. The dataset captures responses on prescribing habits, work experience, and AMR awareness, with an 87.1% response rate. It includes details on commonly prescribed antibiotic regimens and alternative choices for penicillin allergies.

Use Cases

• Analyze the relationship between participants' work experience categories and their preferred antibiotic regimens.
• Assess the frequency of clindamycin prescription as an alternative for penicillin allergy across different respondent groups.
• Evaluate the correlation between AMR knowledge (e.g., correctly identifying AMR) and reported prescribing practices in various clinical scenarios.
• Examine the distribution of prescribed antibiotic course durations (e.g., 5-day courses) among clinical teachers.

Strengths

• High response rate of 87.1% among the 61 clinical teacher participants.
• Detailed demographic breakdown including work experience ranges from less than 5 years to more than 15 years.
• Specific data on prescribing patterns, such as the 90% rate of prescribing a 5-day antibiotic course.

Limitations

• Small sample size of 61 participants limits statistical power and generalizability.
• Geographic scope is limited to a single dental faculty in South Africa.
• Data is self-reported via questionnaire, which may not reflect actual clinical practices.

Provenance

Source

Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, South Africa.

Collection Method

Quantitative, cross-sectional questionnaire-based study using non-probability convenience sampling.

Time Range

Data collected from 28 September 2024 to 24 March 2025.

Freshness

Data collection concluded in March 2025, and the record was last updated in March 2026.

Geography

South Africa, specifically the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of the Western Cape.