Awareness of Antimicrobial Prophylaxis for Infective Endocarditis Among Dental Students and Interns at a Teaching Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction : Infective endocarditis is a serious infection of the heart endothelium and valves. It carries long-term health risks and compromises the heart condition. However, this condition has been rarely observed since the introduction of appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis. Dentists play a major role in preventing infective endocarditis in susceptible patients. In this study, we assessed the levels of awareness about antibiotic prophylaxis for infective endocarditis among students and young dentists at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods : This cross-sectional study included 367 dental students and dental interns who answered a questionnaire designed to assess their awareness levels; it included questions pertaining to demographic information and questions examining the general knowledge of the participants with regard to antibiotic prophylaxis for infective endocarditis. Results : An average of 50% of the participants clearly lacked knowledge regarding the conditions that require antibiotic prophylaxis, while an average of 65% provided correct answers pertaining to the conditions that do not require prophylaxis. Regarding dental procedures that require prophylaxis, the majority of responses were correct with an average of 71.2%. With regard to the type of antibiotic to be prescribed, 63.5% of the participants chose to prescribe 2 g of amoxicillin as a first-line antibiotic. Conclusion : The results of this study showed that the levels of awareness about antibiotic prophylaxis for infective endocarditis are below 100%. Awareness is essential because of the cardiac risks associated with the lack of appropriate treatment. Up-to-date and accurate knowledge is mandatory for all dental students and interns who see and treat patients on a daily basis.

Dentists’ knowledge and practice regarding prevention of infective endocarditis

“…[134] We aimed in this study to assess the knowledge and practice of dentists in Jordan, regarding prevention of IE in dental practice.…”

“…Nevertheless, there seems to be a dilemma about which dental procedures and under what circumstances significant risk occurs. [3] Several guidelines regarding IE prevention are available globally including, British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy guidelines (BSAC) on 2006, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines (NICE) on 2008, European Society of Cardiology guidelines on 2009, the Australian guidelines, and the American Heart Association guidelines (AHA) on 2007; most of these guidelines recommended a more restrictive use of prophylaxis for IE. [4567] The BSAC guidelines reduced cardiac conditions in which prophylaxis indicated to the presence of prosthetic valves, a history of IE, and some congenital heart diseases.…”

Evaluation of an educational concept for risk-oriented prevention in undergraduate dental education

“…The knowledge of participants regarding antibiotic prophylaxis was approximately good (over 75% correct answers), regardless of the methodological approach. In the available literature, mixed results were found for students' knowledge regarding this issue [16,32]. However, the students, who took part in the seminars (group A), stated that the dentist must make the indication for antibiotic prophylaxis.…”

“…Against this background, it is of increasing relevance for undergraduate dental students to be prepared for future challenges in the dental care of patients with general diseases, conditions and/or medications [15]. Thereby, awareness and knowledge of antimicrobial prophylaxis need to be strongly emphasized [16]. Similarly, oral and systemic disease interrelation should be included in dental curricula as an important part [17].…”

Knowledge of infective endocarditis among dental students and interns in seven Nigerian Universities

“…This may be due to the fact that they have longer clinical exposures than the 500L students. In this study, more respondents (65.8%) than those in 25 Bahammam's et al study (42%) knew that patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease can have IE if such are not given prophylaxis before treatment. The revised AHA guideline, stated that daily activities like brushing of teeth can lead to IE.…”