Antibiotics: Boon or Bane in Dentistry?

Dentistry is a vast domain devoted to managing dental infections as well as bolstering and rehabilitating the dentition lost to bacterial invasion. Antibiotics are an essential part of dentistry and its relative specialties, and prescribing antibiotics is a privilege that should not be abused. Antibiotic prescriptions in dentistry are relatively small but nonetheless significant. With the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial species, there is a need to become more vigilant about their prescription, as well as an urgent need for both professional and public understanding of the appropriate use of this life-saving component of treatment. This review discusses the various principles and rationales underlying antibiotic therapy in various fields of dentistry, with an emphasis on rational antibiotic use in dentistry.