ArticleInternational journal of dentistry2026
Utilisation and Shortages of Dental Medicines in Australia From 2014 to 2025: A Retrospective Time-Series Study.
Article in International journal of dentistry, 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
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Dental prescribing in Australia under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) has evolved alongside antimicrobial stewardship initiatives, opioid regulation, and medicine shortages. Understanding national utilisation trends is important to inform policy and safe prescribing practices. Methods: A retrospective analysis of publicly available PBS and Repatriation PBS (RPBS) Section 85 and Section 100 Date of Supply data was conducted from February 2014 to August 2025. Dental schedule item codes were identified via the PBS Publications Archive. Monthly dispensing rates per 100,000 population were calculated using Australian Bureau of Statistics population estimates. Medicines were classified by Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification third level code, with trends assessed by therapeutic class and formulation. Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) shortage reports were used to contextualise utilisation changes. Results: Fifty-nine dental medicines were included in the PBS dental schedule during the study period, with 50 remaining in August 2025. Antibiotics were commonly utilised, with amoxicillin 500 mg capsules consistently most dispensed. Paracetamol with codeine remained the second most dispensed medicine despite regulatory changes. Amoxicillin with clavulanic acid use increased, while clindamycin declined except during metronidazole shortages. Oxycodone dispensing rose markedly from 2023, whereas ibuprofen use declined. Conclusions: Dental medicine utilisation shifted over time, likely reflecting stewardship efforts and supply disruptions. Ongoing review of the PBS Dental Schedule is warranted to ensure alignment with contemporary clinical guidance and optimise safe prescribing.
Indexed as
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.