Dental procedures in children with severe congenital heart disease: a theoretical analysis of prophylaxis and non-prophylaxis procedures
- aDepartment of Oral Medicine, Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Healthcare Sciences, University College London, 256 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8LD, UK, bDepartment of Paediatric Dentistry, Eastman Dental Institute, cMaxillofacial and Dental Department, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London WC1N 3JH, UK
- Dr Lucasv.lucas{at}eastman.ucl.ac.uk
- Accepted 11 September 2000
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To estimate the cumulative exposure to bacteraemia from dental procedures currently recommended for antibiotic prophylaxis and compare this with cumulative exposure from dental procedures not recommended for prophylaxis.
DESIGN Retrospective analysis.
SETTING University and teaching hospital maxillofacial and dental department.
PATIENTS 136 children with severe congenital cardiac disease attending for dental treatment between 1993 and 1998 and for whom full records were available. Each dental procedure was tallied.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Cumulative exposure per annum to “non-prophylaxis procedures”; cumulative exposure per annum to “prophylaxis procedures”.
RESULTS Cumulative exposure to bacteraemia from prophylaxis procedures was not significantly greater than from non-prophylaxis procedures.
CONCLUSIONS The data raise important questions about the appropriateness of current guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis of bacterial endocarditis.
