Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, expected to be responsible for 10 million deaths each year by 2050. Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is of particular concern to dental teams, as antibiotics are the class of drugs most prescribed by dentists. About 10% of antibiotic prescriptions are issued by dentists, depending on the country, with many prescriptions being unnecessary.
To address this challenge, the FDI Antimicrobial Resistance Working Group recently published a White Paper [6] that provides a framework for national dental associations (NDAs) and dental teams to undertake effect ive and coordinated actions to tackle ABR. The White Paper is supported by an online library of resources [7], providing a variety of national and international resources that can be adopted or adapted to support national Antibiotic Stewardship Programmes. The library features a discussion forum where NDAs, dental teams and others can discuss their work.
A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) [8] has also been developed to guide NDAs and dental teams in their efforts to tackle antibiotic resistance in their specific context.
In 2021, the FDI Antimicrobial Resistance Working Group is continuing its work with a series of activities to support NDAs and dental teams in tackling ABR and implementing the White Paper recommendations:
* Development of an Antibiotic Stewardship Core Outcome Set. This set will provide core metrics for informing and evaluating antibiotic stewardship (ABS) programmes. It will highlight the essential aspects that NDAs, dental teams and research teams should address when designing ABS programmes and evaluating their success and impact. A journal article describing the Set development will be accompanied by a guide for using it.
* An NDA action statement and pledge for tackling ABR in dentistry. In September this year during the FDI General Assembly, FDI will launch this pledge and you, as a member, will be invited to sign it and make a commitment to tackle ABR in your country, performing activities in line with the WHO Global Action Plan on AMR and White Paper recommendations. We count on you to continue this fight.
* An Early Career Researcher (ECR) Network, to connect and support ECRs and promote dental ABR research. Network events, including journal club webinars and an online forum, will allow ECRs to present their work, exchange ideas and experiences and establish connections. The network will be launched during a satellite symposium at the IADR 2021 General Session [9]. Please pass this information to your contacts involved in dental ABR research and stay tuned for more workshops and activities.
This global challenge requires action from all of us. We hope these resources can support all our efforts to tackle ABR nationally and globally. Below are some suggestions on how to use them:
* Share all resources with your member dentists and encourage them to learn more about their role. * Read the White Paper for information on what you can do as an NDA to tackle ABR in your country. There are tips for advocating the inclusion of dentistry in National Action Plans, raising awareness and encouraging stewardship. * Create a free account for the online library of resources, upload any relevant resources available in your country and draw inspiration from the resources available. Share your thoughts or questions in the discussion forum! * Watch and share the FDI webinar [10] to learn more about optimizing antibiotic use in practice and how the dental team can help. * Encourage young researchers studying AMR among your members to join our network and play an active role in the fight against AMR worldwide.
Our partner, GlaxoSmithKline, is also interested in partnering with NDAs to work on tackling ABR at the national level. If you are interested in collaborating with your local GSK team, please send us an email to be put in touch.
Finally, we will soon be updating our ABR webpage [11] with new information and activities. Stay tuned to find out more!
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FDI World Dental Federation Avenue Louis-Casaï 51 Geneva, GE 1216 SwitzerlandT +41 22 560 81 50 E info@fdiworlddental.org