Antimicrobial prophylaxis for transient bacteremia during dental procedures

This review examines the evidence about the relationship between dental procedures and the incidence of transient bacteremia. One of the main obstacles was to define "invasive dental procedure" as an indication for antimicrobial prophylaxis for patients with high risk of bacteremia. A search in WorldWideScience and ScienceDirect was performed and 20 articles were selected for review. Two contradictions stood out. There is no concrete evidence that a transient bacteremia arising during a dental procedure may be a risk factor for the appearance of bacterial endocarditis. There is no certainty about the effectiveness of antimicrobial prophylaxis, due to the lack of clinical trials of good quality. There is a similitude between bacteremia resulting from invasive and non-invasive dental procedures. The importance of periodontal health as a preventive measure for bacterial endocarditis among high risk patients is highlighted.