The American Heart Association issued new antibiotic prophylaxis protocols for infective endocarditis. How does this affect us in dentistry?
It seems that these new guidelines point to a change in our prescribing of antibiotics in general. Amoxicillin has always been the number one drug we would use—as long as the patient wasn’t allergic to penicillin—and clindamycin was the alternative. However, the AHA now indicates that other agents may be better options.
In this episode of Medical History Mysteries, Dr. Tom Viola and I discuss what the new guidelines say, what to ask our patients, what dosages to use for each antibiotic, and what to consider with patients who are already taking antibiotics to treat other issues.
Read the American Heart Association on antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines (last updated January 2022)
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Through the Loupes newsletter, a publication of the Endeavor Business Media Dental Group. Read more articles and subscribe to Through the Loupes.
