<b>Antibiotic Prescription Practices Among General Dentists Versus House Officers in Kidney Disease Patients Undergoing Root Canal Treatment and Dental Extraction</b>

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects approximately 10% of the global population, with a significant proportion in Pakistan, and is associated with increased susceptibility to oral infections and altered pharmacokinetics that complicate antibiotic use. Invasive dental procedures such as root canal treatment (RCT) and dental extraction pose a higher infection risk in this population, warranting careful evaluation of prescribing practices. Objective: To assess the association between dentist designation (general dentists versus house officers) and antibiotic prescription practices for CKD patients undergoing RCT and dental extraction. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted from January 2024 to January 2025 at Sharif Medical City, Lahore, Pakistan, including 100 dentists (50 general dentists, 50 house officers) with ≥6 months’ clinical experience who had treated CKD patients requiring RCT or extraction. Data were collected using a pre-validated questionnaire (Cronbach’s α = 0.914) and analyzed in SPSS v24 using Chi-square tests; p ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Results: House officers prescribed antibiotics more frequently than general dentists for extractions (84% vs. 54%; OR 4.93, 95% CI 1.82–13.37, p = 0.002) and RCT (68% vs. 26%; OR 6.04, 95% CI 2.67–13.65, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Less experienced practitioners showed significantly higher antibiotic prescribing rates in CKD patients, underscoring the need for targeted stewardship education and guideline-based prescribing protocols.