ENDOCARDITIS PROPHYLAXIS IN DENTAL PRACTICE: EVALUATION OF KNOWLEDGE AMONG DENTISTS, AND CARDIOLOGISTS

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare condition that is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Almost 100 years ago, the links between endocarditis and procedures, particularly dental procedures, were postulated. Over 50 years ago the first guidelines recommending antibiotic prophylaxis (AP), with the aim of preventing IE from developing after dental procedures, were proposed. Objective: This study aimed to assess the degree of knowledge about endocarditis prophylaxis (EP) among cardiologists, and dentists, and to identify the areas of knowledge that require attention Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 43 cardiologists and 87 dentists in the city of Rabat. Respondents completed a questionnaire to evaluate their knowledge of EP after signing their informed consent. Data were examined through analysis of variance using the chi-squared test (X²) and Fishers exact test to test the significance of the differences between proportions. Findings: 53.5% of cardiologists report following the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) against 62.1% of dentists refer to the French Agency for Health Product Safety (FAHPS), 27.9% of cardiologists are aware of cardiac conditions with a high risk of IE compared to 75.9% of dentists. 2.3% of cardiologists are aware of invasive oral procedures against 54% for dentists. 69% of cardiologists and 70% of dentists have a correct antibiotic prophylaxis prescription regime. 4.7% of cardiologists and 24.1% of dentists know the meaning of spontaneous bacteremia. Conclusion : Both groups had inadequate knowledge of dental procedures. Dentists showed a greater knowledge of heart disease requiring prophylaxis in dental practice. It is thus necessary to reinforce EP knowledge in undergraduate and postgraduate programs and to encourage dentists and cardiologists to keep up-to-date on this issue.