Assessment of the Knowledge and Awareness Levels of Dentists Regarding Prophylaxis for Infective Endocarditis

Managing Cardiac Patients: Dentists’ Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices

“…These findings agree with previous observations of a positive correlation between dentists' knowledge level and level of education. 41 , 42 , 43 Unlike previous studies, 27 , 28 we found no significant difference between knowledge scores of participants working at dental faculties and other participants. However, significantly lower knowledge scores were observed in participants working in the private sector than for others.…”

“…Regarding indications for IEP, we observed better participants’ knowledge of dental procedures necessitating IEP, compared to cardiac indications for IEP ( Table 2 ). This discrepancy has been observed by other investigators 16 , 27 and both under- and overuse of IEP has been reported. 16 , 20 , 21 , 28 Interestingly, a recent study involving cardiologists found decreased accuracy in identifying invasive dental procedures necessitating IEP use compared to the identification of predisposing cardiac conditions.…”

“…However, significantly lower knowledge scores were observed in participants working in the private sector than for others. Although improved knowledge levels have been observed for women and those with ≤5 years of professional experience with IEP, 27 there was no significant association between participants’ knowledge scores and participants’ age, sex, or years of experience (≤5 years compared to ≥6 years), which was similarly reported by Lopez-Jornet et al regarding dentists in Spain. 24 The effect of time since publication of guidelines on dentists’ knowledge of IEP is not well established.…”

“… 25 It has been suggested that dentists should receive in-service training to stay up-to-date with current practices. 27 In one study, more than 80% of participants who received postgraduate continuing education courses or reviewed the literature had adequate knowledge of cardiac conditions related to IEP, and 93.8% were aware of the preoperative dosage of amoxicillin in these cases. 46 Educational programmes should not, however, negate establishing communication between cardiologists and dentists.…”

Unveiling the Knowledge Gap Regarding Standard Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Infective Endocarditis Among Physicians, Dentists and Cardiologists in Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Training programs must include this knowledge [12]. The same suggestion was given by another researcher [13]; it is difficult for practitioners to recognize individuals who are at high risk for cardiac diseases and dental procedures that are known to induce bacteremia [14]. The participants in our study also had average knowledge of the high-risk population.…”