Thirty million deaths directly related to AMR are expected globally in the period between 2025 and 2050 with an annual mortality rate of 8.22 million by 2050 which is reaching similar levels to the annual mortality rate of cancer (9.7 million). The more we use antimicrobial agents, the more antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is expected to develop. This is leading humanity to face a situation similar to pre-antimicrobial discovery era when simple infections were not possible to treat.
Dentists prescribe approximately 10% of antimicrobials in the UK and Ireland, and there is evidence of increasing rates of reported resistance to many antimicrobials in head and neck infections. It is important that the dental community Acts Now and respond to the global health threat. Appreciating the requirement for system-level changes to facilitate the provision of best evidence practice, we need to take the lead and Protect antimicrobial use to cases when it is justified based on best evidence practice. This could be guided by the available resources in three major national platforms:
- Dental antimicrobial stewardship toolkit (Dental antimicrobial stewardship: toolkit - GOV.UK: updated December 2023)
- Keep Antimicrobial Working educational website (KAW Resources – Keep Antimicrobials Working Forum & Resources)
- Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG) Dental Stewardship Steering Group (DSSG) website (Dental stewardship)
This year, the United Nations focus has been on non-communicable disease such as cancer, and diabetes. People with these conditions are susceptible to rapidly advancing infection. Dr Wendy Thompson from the College of General Dentistry explained: “Prevention is better than cure. Preventing non-communicable diseases, such as dental infection, reduces antimicrobial use and must be a global priority, to Secure our future.” This message was emphasised in the UNGA80 2025.
World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) is a global campaign to raise awareness and increase understanding of AMR and to promote global action to tackle the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens. It is commemorated annually from 18 to 24 November. Twenty-three national dental organisations have come together to support the WAAW 2025 theme ‘Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future.’
References
- Dental antimicrobial stewardship toolkit (Dental antimicrobial stewardship: toolkit - GOV.UK: updated December 2023)
- Keep Antimicrobial Working educational website (KAW Resources – Keep Antimicrobials Working Forum & Resources).
- Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG) Dental Stewardship Steering Group (DSSG) website (Dental stewardship).