Metronidazole Resistance in Anaerobes Isolated from Patient with Oral and Maxillofacial Infections Attending Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania

Oro-facial infections, mostly bacterial infections, are among the most commonly encountered problems in the oral and maxillofacial surgical practice world over. Infections involving the oral and maxillofacial region usually result in significant morbidity and are often fatal. These infections [1] .Purulent infections such as dental abscesses, Ludwing Angina are known to be caused by not only aerobes and facultative anaerobes but also by obligate anaerobes [2]. An increase in the role of these bacteria in clinical infections has been reported, however, exact incidence especially to anaerobes is unknown [3]. In Many Oral and maxillofacial clinics patients present with serious and often fatal infections that initially started as simple dental caries or periodontitis then progressed to periapical infection and spread to facial spaces/ In severe forms of orofacial infections like necrotizing fasciitis, deep space infection and osteomyelitis, culture studies involving both aerobic and anaerobic bacteriology are desirable to provide information on the likely pathogenic organisms causing the disease and their likely antibiotic sensitivity [4]. This is not done because isolation and sensitivity testing of anaerobes is very tedious, costly and time consuming. As a result treatment is given using broad spectrum antibiotics which may not be appropriate or may cause delay in healing and high morbidity.