Assessing the knowledge and practice of general dentists of Qazvin on prophylaxis against infective endocarditis prior to dental procedures (2010-2011)

  Background: Infective endocarditis is a rare condition that can occur as a result of invasive dental procedures in susceptible patients. In order to prevent this event, appropriate antibiotics must be prescribed for the susceptible patients.   Objective: The present study was aimed to assess the general Dentists’ knowledge and practice regarding the prophylaxis of infective endocarditis prior to dental procedures in the city of Qazvin during 2010-2011.   Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out on 91 general dentists in the city of Qazvin through census sampling method followed by assessing their knowledge and practice using a valid and reliable questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic variables, heart disease, and the dental procedures requiring antibiotic prophylaxis and specific antibiotic regimen for different patients. The participants’ knowledge scores were determined by summing the total questions answered correctly. Data were analyzed by central tendency indices, student t test, ANOVA, and Tukey multiple comparison test.   Findings: The mean knowledge score of the dentists regarding the prophylaxis against infective endocarditis was 15.95 compared to the maximum total score of 28 (standard deviation: 3.04). Seventy two respondents (79.1%) showed moderate (10-18 scores) and 19 (20.9%) with good knowledge (19-28 scores). No significant differences regarding the knowledge scores were noted between two genders or the years after graduation. However, the dentists aged 40 years or older had significantly higher knowledge scores compared to those aged 31-40 years (P<0.05).   Conclusion: This study showed that the general dentists of Qazvin have moderate knowledge on prophylaxis against infective endocarditis, suggesting more continuous education programs have to be scheduled.