Antibiotic prescribing
Gingivitis

Antibiotics should not be prescribed for acute or chronic gingivitis (although NUG/NPD is sometimes an exception).

Local measures and OHI only are indicated.

Very occasionally one sees a patient as an "emergency" where the bleeding is copious on brushing or eating, and the patient is seriously worried that something dreadful is happening (e.g. leukaemia). This may happen when a patient is immunocompromised, or ill, or has never brushed their teeth before until today. Additional explanation is required, not antibiotics.

In particular, the patient must understand that they must brush their teeth more thoroughly even though that causes more bleeding initially. The tendency is often to brush less, or not at all, to avoid triggering the bleeding.