Dentistry News 2007

Update on CDA position statement on Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Dental Patients at Risk

July 3, 2007

On April 25, CDA issued a CDAlert on the American Heart Association’s (AHA) 2007 guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis prior to dental procedures to prevent infective endocarditis. In light of these new guidelines, CDA has now rescinded its 2005 position on Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Dental Patients at Risk.

The withdrawn statement addressed the needs of patients at risk of infective endocarditis and those with total joint replacement. To ensure that Canadian dentists are not left without guidance on those topics while new material on antibiotic prophylaxis is being produced by its Committee on Clinical and Scientific Affairs, CDA has endorsed the new AHA guidelines and maintains its endorsement of the 2003 statement of the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons concerning antibiotic prophylaxis for dental patients with total joint replacements.

Note: View an update on this issue.