Knowledge of Dentists in Iran on the Prophylactic Use of Antibiotics for Bacterial Endocarditis in Different Dental Procedures

Dental procedures that involve hard and soft tissues may transfer bacteria into the bloodstream, resulting in infective endocarditis in susceptible patients. The aim of this study was to determine the mean scores of knowledge and attitudes of general dentists about antibiotic prophylaxis in different dental procedures.
Materials & In this study, 375 general dental practitioners participating in several national congresses in Tehran in autumn and winter of 2015 were selected using simple sampling technique. An anonymous questionnaire which had been adapted locally and whose validity and reliability had been confirmed was distributed among the subjects and collected after they were completed. Data were analyzed with t-test, using SPSS 22 (α = 0.05).
The mean score of knowledge of all the participants in this study was 17.9 of a total score of 27; 77% of surgery questions, 50% of periodontal questions, 50% of endodontics questions and 26% of restorative dentistry questions were gained by the participants. The knowledge on the administration of antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery was higher among the participants (p value Maximum awareness among the dental treatments was about dental surgery, indicating the attention of dentists to the need for prevention in aggressive treatments. Root canal therapy and periodontal and restorative treatments ranked next, which might be attributed to the more conservative nature of these procedures.