Empower Dentists to Prescribe Antibiotics to High Risk Patients

Professor Martin Thornhill, the research’s lead author, claims that patients with a high risk of heart disease should be allowed to receive antibiotic prescriptions from UK dentists.

Infective endocarditis occurs when bacteria in the bloodstream settles on the heart lining, valve, or blood vessel. Thornhills’ research indicates that cases of this may be caused by germs entering the bodies blood circulation through the mouth during dental procedures.

For patients at risk of infective endocarditis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) discourages frequently taking antibiotics prior to invasive dental treatments. The research, however, contends that this may be placing high-risk individuals at elevated levels of danger.
Thornhill commented that: “We know that 30 to 45% of IE cases are caused by bacteria that derive from the mouth. But what has been unclear and disputed until now is whether there is a strong link between invasive dental procedures and IE in patients who are at high risk.”

He explained that results from the study align with other countries recommendations, for example, “The American Heart Association and the European Society for Cardiology” dictate that “that those at high IE risk should receive AP before undergoing invasive dental procedures.”

“In contrast, our data suggests that current UK NICE guidance against the routine use of AP, could be putting high risk patients at unnecessary extra risk of developing IE.”

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