For decades, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommended that patients with certain heart conditions take antibiotics shortly before dental treatment. This was done with the belief antibiotics would prevent infective endocarditis (IE), previously referred to as bacterial endocarditis.

The latest AHA guidelines were published in the April 2007 edition of its scientific journal Circulation. There is good news: the AHA says most heart patients no longer need short-term antibiotics as a preventive measure before their dental treatment.

Yet, the AHA and American Dental Association (ADA) still recommend certain dental patients take antibiotics before dental procedures, including people with artificial heart valves, a history of endocarditis, certain congenital heart conditions, heart transplant patients who develop problems with a heart valve and those who have undergone joint replacement.

The guidelines are based on a growing body of scientific evidence that shows the risks of taking preventive antibiotics outweigh the benefits for most patients.

It is recommended all patients consult with their physicians before changing any preventive antibiotic regiment.