PerioVive in Practice for Pet Parents: The Threat of Antibiotic Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the largest threats to global health. Antibiotic resistance means that bacteria no longer respond to antibiotics; antibiotics become ineffective and infections become more difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability and death (WHO, 2024). The main reasons for the crisis of AMR are the overuse and misuse of antibiotics combined with inadequate infection prevention.

New antibiotics are not being developed fast enough to outpace the increasing rate of AMR, threatening both human and animal health. In 2019, antibiotic-resistant infections killed approximately 1.27 million people worldwide, and by 2050 that number is predicted to jump to an estimated 10 million deaths annually (O’Neil).

Antibiotics are generally ineffective and unnecessary in veterinary dentistry because dental infections are localized, and systemic antibiotics can't reach these areas in sufficient concentrations. So, if your pet was not prescribed antibiotics following a dental procedure it is because they were not indicated and your veterinarian was adhering to proper guidelines for antibiotic use.

Certain patients that are at high risk of infection, wound healing issues, or with significant systemic disease, might benefit from antibiotics. If your pet has been prescribed an antibiotic it is crucial for the health of your pet and to help fight AMR that you follow the directions closely and give the exact amount, at the correct times, and for the full duration of treatment.

Your veterinarian may have used PerioVive in their practice at the conclusion of your pets’ dental procedure to improve the speed and quality of tissue healing while providing excellent pain control. PerioVive is not an antibiotic and is applied topically to improve clinical outcomes of dental procedures without contributing to antibiotic resistance.

A new hyaluronic acid water supplement, PerioPearls, can help to maintain good oral health by combating gingivitis and periodontitis. PerioPearls is a simple, tasteless, odorless tablet dissolved in 8 ounces of drinking water daily. Pet parents can put PerioVive into practice to reduce the threat of antibiotic resistance.

References

World Health Organisation (WHO). 2024. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance.

O’Neill, Jim. (2016) "Tackling drug-resistant infections globally: final report and recommendations. Government of the United Kingdom.