Highlighting the increase in antibiotic prescribing by dental practices during Covid-19 to encourage improvements in service delivery and dental antibiotic stewardship

Impact: Health and wellbeing, Awareness and understanding, Attitudes and behaviours, Policy

Public summary

In March 2025, Wendy's research was cited by the British Dental Association in an open letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care confirming that "the latest research from the University of Manchester shows that we are yet to return to the downward trend in antibiotic use seen in dentistry pre-COVID" and asking the government to "move at pace" to reduce unmet need and avoidable antibiotic prescribing in dentistry.

Prior to that in 2021, Wendy's research was used within a House of Commons debate about the effect of the Covid-19 on dental services.

It was also cited by UK Health Security Agency's 2020 to 2021 report on English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance (ESPAUR). As a result of this report's finding that dentistry was the only part of the NHS to experience an increase in antibiotic prescribing, a new focus has been placed on dental antibiotic stewardship and improvements in public service delivery.


Impact date2021
Category of impactHealth and wellbeing, Awareness and understanding, Attitudes and behaviours, Policy
Impact levelEngagement

Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms

  • Policy@Manchester

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