Prophylaxis of infective endocarditis: improved dental care and oral health rather than systematic antibiotic prophylaxis?

peer reviewedProphylaxis for infective endocarditis has been recommended on the basis of the supposed pathophysiology of the disease, although no randomised clinical trial has confirmed its efficacy. Bacteraemia resulting from daily activities is much more likely to cause infective endocarditis than bacteraemia associated with invasive medical procedures. As a result, recommendations for antibiotic prophylaxis tend now to be severely restricted