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The long-standing practice of antibiotic prophylaxis before dental procedures in patients at risk for infective endocarditis (IE) was recently challenged. Consequently, in March 2008, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued a guideline recommending the cessation of such prophylaxis in the U.K. Now, researchers have quantified the effect of this guideline.
National monthly prescribing data were examined for all relevant prescriptions issued in England between January 2004 and April 2010. National data on inpatient hospital activity were used to determine the rates of IE and deaths from IE. Rates were compared between two 12-month periods: immediately before guideline implementation and 14–25 months afterward.
Be…