Dentists’ knowledge and practice regarding prevention of infective endocarditis

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to assess the knowledge and practice of dentists from Jordan, regarding prevention of infective endocarditis (IE) in dental practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A sample of Jordanian dentists was interviewed regarding their IE knowledge and practice using a validated and pretested survey instrument. RESULTS: Most of the dentists have encountered a patient with IE who needed prophylactic antibiotic (PA) and have prescribed antibiotics to prevent IE. Jordanian dentists’ approach to patients in need for PA varied between the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommendations and the American Heart Association to a lesser degree, but still a relatively high percent (39%) did not know any guidelines to follow although 74% have encountered patients who needed endocarditis prophylaxis. Patients with prosthetic heart valve were ranked on top of medical conditions that required PA (87.4%), and most dentists (94.5%) thought that dental extractions need PA followed by periodontal surgery (88.2%). CONCLUSION: There is a lack of consistency in the knowledge and practice of Jordanian dentists with regard to IE. There is a need to take actions to improve dentist's knowledge regarding this topic.