Cardio-oncology & otherResearch article
Dental procedures and associated risk of infective endocarditis
- nationwide time-dependent association
- Cox regression with time-varying exposure (dental visit and three months later)
Authors' conclusion
We did not find an association between dental procedures and bacteremia or IE, and this was irrespective of high-risk cardiac preconditions.
Study context
- Population
- Danes > 18 years on January 1, 2010 who had dental carepersons who had dental care (66.9% of residents, median age 44 years [IQR 30–49])
- Participants
- 4,178,514 participants
- Comparison
- dental procedures compared with non-exposed time
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Bacteremia and IE · 9 years of follow-up
persons had bacteremia
69,928 (1.7%)
had infective endocarditis (IE)
3,754 (0.09%)
Further findings
| Outcome | Estimate | |
|---|---|---|
| Bacteremia | adjusted HR 0.94 (95% CI 0.92–0.95) | |
| IE | adjusted HR 1.00 (95% CI 0.94–1.08) | |
| IE in high-risk patients (prior IE, valve prostheses, or congenital heart disease) · not different in high-risk patients | HR 0.96 (95% CI 0.83–1.10) | |
| 0.512Ratio (log scale) |
Streptococci among those with bacteremia or IE in the proximity of dental care (within three months)
- Streptococci, among those with bacteremia in the proximity of dental care
- 16.1%
- Streptococci, among those with IE in the proximity of dental care
- 26.9%
Dose-response, invasive vs non-invasive procedures
- No dose-response relationship for invasive vs non-invasive procedures was found
Original publication
Dental procedures and associated risk of infective endocarditis. Am Heart J. Published 12 August 2026. doi:10.1016/j.ahj.2026.107552
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it