What is the need for antibiotic prophylaxis before a dental procedure?
Posted on 3/7/2022 by Dr. Frank K. Sioda
Prophylactic antibiotics are medical antibiotics administered ahead of time to prevent infection in situations where the risk of infection is high during an oral procedure. For example, it is administered before certain dental operations for heart conditions that may predispose them to infections like endocarditis. Patients with prosthetic joints may be at risk of developing hematogenous infections at the prosthetic region during a dental procedure.
Need of antibiotic prophylaxis
There is a need to administer antibiotic prophylaxis before a dental procedure, especially on patients with a compromised immunity against bacterial infections. When undergoing dental surgery or an oral procedure in the oral cavity that involves manipulating the gingival tissue or the periapical region of teeth or perforating the oral mucosa, bacteria from the mouth can enter the bloodstream. Although this might not be a problem for a person with a healthy immune system as they can fight off infections, other patients with weak immune systems are likely to develop infections, for example, congenital heart problems and infective carditis.
Administering antibiotic prophylaxis for patients with a history of complications who have undergone joint replacement surgery and undergone invasive dental procedures is recommended.
The administering of antibiotic prophylaxis should only be considered in the emergence of certain conditions and after consultation with the patient. The dental or orthopedic surgeon should recommend and write a suitable regimen and prescription.
Antibiotic prophylaxis is generally used before dental surgery on certain patients to help prevent PJI (Prosthetic joint infection) and prevent pathogenic endocarditis or cases that cause excessive bleeding in the oral region during procedures. These antibiotics are also used to prevent allergic reactions from an invasive dental procedure. The antibiotics, however, are recommended for a small subset of patients due to their serious side effects after use, for example, Clostridium difficile infection, allergic reactions, yeast infections, and diarrhea.
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Dr. Frank Sioda 18676 Willamette Dr. Suite 202 West Linn, OR 97068-1718
Dental Blog | Dentist West Linn | ZenTech Dentistry Dr. Frank Sioda of ZenTech Dentistry has created this informative blog to help educate the community about a variety of dental topics. Learn more here. ZenTech Dentistry - Frank K. Sioda, DMD, PC, 18676 Willamette Dr., Suite 202, West Linn, OR 97068-1718 \ (503) 765-9699 \ zentechdentistry.com \ 10/3/2024 \ Related Terms: dentist West Linn \
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Prophylactic antibiotics are medical antibiotics administered ahead of time to prevent infection in situations where the risk of infection is high during an oral procedure. For example, it is administered before certain dental operations for heart conditions that may predispose them to infections like endocarditis. Patients with prosthetic joints may be at risk of developing hematogenous infections at the prosthetic region during a dental procedure.