Assessment of Knowledge of Dental Staff at a Saudi Arabian University Regarding the Prophylaxis for Infective Endocarditis

Abstract

The use of prophylactic antibiotics for the prevention of infective endocarditis following dental procedures has long been debated and there is still confusion regarding its efficacy. As a result, the prophylactic treatment varies considerably amongst different countries across the world and amongst different dental practitioners. Aim: To evaluate the knowledge of dental staff regarding the guidelines for the prevention of infective endocarditis.Methods: This was a cross sectional analytical study which included all staff members. A self administered questionnaire was used and responses were “graded” according to the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines.Results: The response rate was 87% (N=39) and 97% reported to use the AHA guidelines; 66% reported their knowledge was based on previous training and scientific journals. Of those cardiac conditions and dental procedures which required prophylaxis; 47% and 65% chose the correct option, respectively. Penicillin was prescribed as the drug of choice by the majority of respondents. Conclusions: Although almost all staff reported the use of the AHA guidelines, many were not following them. The study emphasizes the need for continuous education and evaluation of this critical aspect of dentistry.

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

“…Dentists should always follow the guidelines that are enforced in their hospitals. The results of our study were similar to those of another study conducted at Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia [ 8 ], although the previous study included dental staff members rather than students or interns. The authors recommended that nationally standardized guidelines should be discussed and implemented across the kingdom to ensure that all students and patients receive the most appropriate and acceptable treatment modalities [ 7 ].…”

“…A structured questionnaire was designed and developed on the basis of a thorough literature review [ 2 - 4 , 8 , 10 ]. It was divided into five sections assessing different categories as follows: demographic data, including age, gender, specialty, and level of education; participants’ awareness regarding the necessity of prescribing antibiotics for different cardiac conditions; participants’ awareness of dental procedures that need antibiotic prophylaxis; knowledge of the type and dose of antibiotic to be prescribed, assessed using direct questions, and the participants’ source of information, assessed using a direct question.…”

“…A previous study conducted with the dental staff at Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia concluded that although most of the staff members followed the AHA guidelines, several did not. It also emphasized the need for continuous education on this critical topic [ 8 ].…”

“…From the above-mentioned perspectives, we conducted this study to evaluate the levels of awareness regarding antibiotic prophylaxis for IE among fourth, fifth, and final year students and interns (during the first clinical year after graduation from the dental school, dental interns work under supervision from faculty members) at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Unlike previous studies that mainly targeted dental staff and general dentists [ 8 , 10 - 12 ], our study is the first, to the best of our knowledge, to include dental students and interns.…”

Knowledge of Moroccan Dentists Towards the Prophylaxis of Infective Endocarditis

“…This result coincides with the one of Nakano et al [16] where only less than 20% of Japanese practitioners follow the recommendations of the AHA 2007. However, Bhayat A. et al [17] statistically significant difference in the responses when correlated against the age and years of experience and whether to prescribe or not (p <0.05). There was a higher rate of correct response among practitioners from 25-35years age range and recently installed practitioners (≤3ans).…”