ArticleAntimicrobial stewardship & healthcare epidemiology : ASHE2026
Dental stewardship implementation and antimicrobial resistance awareness in India: prescribing patterns, knowledge gaps, and barriers-systematic review with narrative synthesis.
Article in Antimicrobial stewardship & healthcare epidemiology : ASHE, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical global health threat, with drug-resistant infections projected to cause up to 10 million deaths annually by 2050. India bears a disproportionate share of this burden. Dental practitioners contribute approximately 10% of national antibiotic prescriptions; however, antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in dental settings remains underdeveloped, with no national dental-specific guidelines. This systematic review with narrative synthesis evaluates AMR awareness and AMS implementation among Indian dental professionals. Methods: A systematic review with narrative synthesis was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Five databases were searched for studies published between January 2014 and December 2024. Eligible studies of any design examined AMR awareness, AMS behaviors, or antibiotic prescribing practices among Indian dental practitioners. Methodological quality was independently appraised using CASP checklists. Due to substantial heterogeneity across study designs and outcomes, findings were synthesized narratively and analyzed thematically. Results: From 1,852 records, 14 studies involving 3,602 participants were included. All studies referenced guidelines or clinical pathways. Prescribing practices were the most frequently assessed outcome (12/14; 86%), followed by compliance (9/14; 64%) and knowledge or awareness (6/14; 43%). Key findings included significant knowledge-practice gaps, inappropriate prescribing patterns, and the absence of structured stewardship infrastructure. Facilitators included baseline AMR awareness and professional willingness to engage, while barriers included curriculum deficiencies and limited access to guidelines. Conclusions: Structured dental AMS programs are both urgently needed and feasible in India. Addressing modifiable drivers through national prescribing guidelines, integrated AMS education, and audit and feedback systems is essential to support AMR containment.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.