Heart Infection Rises After Preventative Antibiotics Scrapped Before Dental Procedures
Researchers have found that rates of a life-threatening heart infection rose after guidelines were enforced to scrap giving patients preventative antibiotics before dental procedures.
Researchers from universities across the UK, including the University of Sheffield, found that the number of cases of endocarditis increased by 35 per month after NICE recommended giving patients who were due to undergo dental treatment preventative antibiotics.
A study published in The Lancet shows that the number of prescriptions for preventative antibiotics has decreased by 80 per cent since the new guidelines came into play.
Researchers stressed that there may be other factors involved in the increased rate of infection and suggested that the number of people affected by infective endocarditis is still very low. Fewer than 10 in every 100,000 people are diagnosed every year in the UK.
Representatives from the British Heart Foundation said that the evidence is not conclusive and emphasised that taking antibiotics also has risks.
In response to the research, NICE will carry out an urgent review and make any necessary changes to current guidelines.
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