Effectiveness of a dental school program in the prevention of infective endocarditis and other related infections

Dental records of 99 patients for whom a medical consultation was required to establish or eliminate the need for infective endocarditis prophylaxis were examined. The purpose of the review was to determine if the consultative process was effective and if patients requiring antibiotic prophylaxis were managed according to the current American Heart Association guidelines. The record review indicated that the consultative process is effective in determining need but that there are deficiencies in management documentation. An analysis of the consultation replies revealed that dental staff members must be thoroughly familiar with the current American Heart Association recommendations for the prevention of infective endocarditis.