Current trends in the prevention of bacterial endocarditis in susceptible patients receiving dental care

Survey of compliance with American Heart Association guidelines for prevention of bacterial endocarditis

A total of 359 dentists were surveyed to find out how they determine which patients require antibiotic medication before dental treatment for prevention of bacterial endocarditis; how they treat patients with a history of heart murmur; and what specific antibiotic regimen they use for preoperative medication when it is indicated.

Bacterial endocarditis: a retrospective study

A retrospective study was done on patients admitted to the University of Michigan Hospital from 1962 to 1972 with a diagnosis of bacterial endocarditis. The findings in the group studied indicate that Streptococcus viridans was the predominant causative organism, males were affected three times as often as females, erythromycin was effective against organisms of oral origin, dental procedures were not definitely established as responsible for the onset of the disease in any of the cases, and rheumatic heart disease and congenital heart disease were the predominant, but not the only, predisposing factors.