Abstract
Inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions contributed to a global issue of antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of bacterial pathogens and antimicrobial resistance isolated from maxillofacial infections (MIs). Two hundred and twenty-two patients with different MIs were included in this study. Swab samples were taken from the site of infections. Samples were cultured, and isolated bacteria were identified using various biochemical tests. Antimicrobial resistance patterns of isolates were assessed by the disk diffusion method. The mean age of the patients was 50.8 years. The male-to-female ratio was 127/95 (P<0.05). Smoking and alcohol consumption were found in 60.36% and 37.38% of patients, respectively. Most patients had a ≤1-week infection duration (P<0.05). Abscess lesion was the most predominant infection type (P<0.05). The prevalence of aerobic bacteria among abscess, pus localization, and deep facial infections was 59.33%, 64.28%, and 46.66%, respectively. The prevalence of anaerobic bacteria among abscess, pus localization, and deep facial infections was 40.66%, 23.80%, and 53.33%, respectively. Staphylococcus aureus (10.36%) and Prevotella buccalis (8.55%) had the uppermost distribution amongst all examined samples. Isolated bacteria exhibited the uppermost resistance rate toward penicillin (65.76%), tetracycline (61.26%), gentamicin (58.10%), and ampicillin (57.65%) antimicrobials. The lowest resistance rate was obtained for linezolid (25.67%), ceftriaxone (31.08%), and azithromycin (31.08%) antimicrobials. Linezolid, ceftriaxone, and azithromycin had effective antimicrobial activities toward bacteria isolated from MIs. Therefore, cautious antibiotic prescription might decrease the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in dental and maxillofacial infections.