Sammanfattning
Antibiotic resistance is increasing rapidly worldwide and constitutes a substantial threat to the modern health care and patient safety. Resistance driving factors are utilization of antibiotics, hygiene measures in health care, sanitary conditions, the infrastructure of the health care system and environmental factors. The resistance levels in the Nordic countries are uniquely favourable from a global perspective. Through different political initiatives, actions of governmental authorities and WHO, an international collaboration is ongoing between multiple sectors such as health care, industry, animal husbandry and veterinary medicine to counteract and prevent antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic utilization in dentistry in the Nordic countries is low from an international perspective and accounts for approximately 4.6 - 6 % of the antibiotic prescriptions in primary health care. However, there are some indications that the antibiotic usage in dentistry can be further reduced. The possibility to prevent and increase dissemination of antibiotic resistance is most favourable when the prevalence of antibiotic resistance is low, as in the Nordic countries. What we do today will have great implications on tomorrows resistance development.