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Need antibiotics before dental work? According to recommendations, individuals with specific heart diseases should take antibiotics prior to invasive dental treatments. A recent study supports the value of this approach for lowering the risk of endocarditis, a deadly heart infection frequently brought on by oral bacteria.

The study, which was based on the health and dental records of approximately eight million people, including more than 36,000 patients at high risk for endocarditis, was published on September 13, 2022, in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. This includes those with specific congenital heart problems, replaced or repaired heart valves, or endocarditis in the past.

Need antibiotics before dental work, Antibiotics weren’t given to more than one-third of patients undergoing invasive dental operations who were at high risk for endocarditis. The risk of endocarditis among those who didn’t take antibiotics was 10 times higher after tooth extraction and 12.5 times higher after oral surgery in comparison to those who did.

For more information, people who are at risk for endocarditis should obtain a wallet card from the American Heart Association at https://health.harvard.edu/card.