AAP endorses change in pre-dental procedure antibiotics

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has endorsed new recommendations from the American Heart Association (AHA) stating that routine use of prophylactic antibiotics prior to dental procedures to prevent endocarditis may not be necessary. According to AHA's Endocarditis Committee, after completing a comprehensive review of the available data, it concluded that pre-procedure antibiotics are not necessary for most individuals with congenital or acquired heart disease. The group continues to recommend the drugs, however, for patients at greatest risk for complications should infectious endocarditis develop, including those who've had previous endocarditis and those with prosthetic heart valves. The new recommendations reverse what has been standard procedure for the past 50 years.

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