Advice for dental teams to support implementation of NICE guideline on prophylaxis against infective endocarditis

The SDCEP implementation advice, which has been formally endorsed by NICE, has been developed to help dental teams manage the care of patients at increased risk of infective endocarditis, a rare but life-threatening infection of the lining of the heart.

NICE Clinical Guideline 64 (CG64), first published in 2008, updated in 2015 and amended in 2016, includes recommendations on preventing infective endocarditis in people who are at increased risk of developing this condition. SDCEP’s advice aims to clarify and facilitate the implementation of the most recent iteration of the recommendations and supports management of the oral health of patients at increased risk of infective endocarditis. The advice emphasises the importance of including the patient in discussions about their care and provides information about identifying the small number of increased risk patients for whom antibiotic prophylaxis may be indicated. Advice for cardiology and cardiac surgical teams is included and an information leaflet for patients is provided to help practitioners explain the NICE recommendation, support discussions with patients and parents or carers and provide reassurance about their care.