Lecture up to 0.75 hour
Special Patient Care | AGD Subject Code 750

This session presents five new dental antibiotic prescribing practices that can be immediately applied in clinical settings. Dr Goff shares the latest literature on both prophylactic and therapeutic antibiotic use in dentistry, equipping attendees to make more informed, evidence-based decisions that can help avoid potential legal risks.

Challenging traditional antibiotic “dogma,” the presentation addresses outdated beliefs around lengthy treatment durations and the recommendation to “finish the course.” Updated 2024 guidelines from orthopedic surgeons on dental antibiotic prophylaxis for joint implant patients will also be summarized, offering clarity on a long-debated issue.

Dentists and their teams—including hygienists, assistants, and administrative staff—play a crucial role in antibiotic stewardship. This session highlights how prescribing appropriately can curb resistance, reduce the risk of adverse side effects (like C. difficile infection), and improve patient safety. Collaboration with infectious disease experts is encouraged to refine protocols and elevate care across the profession.

Upon completion of this session, attendees should be able to:

• Stop prescribing clindamycin and quinolones (levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin) for penicillin allergic patients
• Implement 5 new evidence-based antibiotic prescribing practices for dental procedures 
• List the new recommendations from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (Nov 2024) Evidence-based Guideline on dental antibiotic prophylaxis for joint implant patients
• Challenge the traditional “antibiotic dogma” of 7 and 10 days duration of therapy and the recommendation to “finish the course”.
• Promote dental antibiotic stewardship to dentists, orthopedic surgeons, hygienists, assistants, dental staff, and patients. 

Dr Goff does not have any affiliations to disclose. 

Dr Debra Goff is an internationally renowned, award-winning infectious diseases clinical pharmacist with 36 years of patient care experience at The Ohio State University (OSU) Wexner Medical Center. She serves as Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Infectious Diseases Ambassador for the OSU Global One Health Institute in Columbus, Ohio, USA. She is one of only 25 global health experts selected by the World Health Organization to implement antibiotic stewardship programs in low- and middle-income countries. In recognition of her impactful work across 36 countries, she received the prestigious 2019 OSU Distinguished International Outreach and Engagement Award.

In 2018, Dr Goff collaborated with oral surgeons, her husband—a prosthodontist—orthopedic surgeons, and the CDC to host the first dental antibiotic workshop focused on the use of dental antibiotic prophylaxis in joint implant patients. She led the first U.S. study assessing antibiotic prescribing practices among private practice dentists and provided critical guidance for antibiotic use in dentistry.

Dr Goff has conducted numerous dental antibiotic workshops and has lectured widely to private practice and academic dentists, students, the FDI World Dental Federation, and five dental schools in South Africa. She is a prolific author with over 150 publications and numerous research grants and is a frequent national and international speaker.