Good Dental Health Linked to Heart Infection Prevention and Decreased Antibiotic Overuse

Image courtesy of the American Heart Association

Good oral health has been found to be more important than antibiotics in dental procedures for some patients to prevent heart infection, according to a statement from the American Heart Association (AHA).

Bacteria around the teeth can cause heart infection by entering the bloodstream and settling in the heart lining, heart valves, or blood vessels. Certain patients with heart infection problems are prescribed antibiotics prior to dental procedures to prevent any further complications.

After a 2007 study by the AHA, they concluded that antibiotics were being overprescribed and that a more limited use of preventive antibiotics hadn’t caused an increase in infections.

To learn more visit the AHA’s website here.