Dental Intervention and the Risks of Bacterial Endocarditis in the Hospital Environment

Abstract

The oral cavity is a very large entrance for various periodontal diseases and the development of systemic pathologies. Therefore, not taking proper care of oral health can lead to the development of much more than inflammation, and this becomes even more worrying when it involves patients hospitalized in the hospital environment with valvular cardiovascular disease. Bacterial endocarditis is a serious disease that settles in the endocardium and that can compromise the functioning of the heart muscle with serious risks, due to carelessness in relation to bacterial manifestation. The objective of this work is to analyze the main risks in relation to bacterial endocaditis in the hospital environment, as well as when the patient is submitted to some dental intervention. A search was carried out in the databases: Scielo and PubMed, using the following keywords: Bacterial endocarditis; hospital environment; risks, covering the period from 2000 to 2021. Bacterial endocarditis sets in when bacteria penetrate the bloodstream, migrate to the endocardium and adhere. Microorganisms begin to multiply and cause vegetation to appear, which are structures made up of cell debris, fibrin, platelets and bacteria, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood and leading to a risk of heart failure. It is concluded that bacterial endocarditis is a serious disease that can lead the patient to death, as it has a high risk of heart failure. For this reason, it is important to have a multidisciplinary team together with the dental surgeon in the hospital environment to develop therapeutic and prophylactic protocols for patients who need dental intervention.