Abstract
Background and Objectives: Infective endocarditis is the most common cardiac disease which may arise by metastasis and colonization of bacteria on the endocardium. This study was aimed to evaluate the knowledge of dentists about the latest prophylactic regimens for infective endocarditis.
Materials and Methods: A total of 200 dentists who practice in Tabriz participated in this descriptive-analytical study. All participants filled out a questionnaire contained questions about their knowledge of the latest prophylactic regimens and their indications. The results were analyzed statistically to detect the correlations between age, sex, practice duration and the knowledge.
Results: Regarding the knowledge about the indications of infective endocarditis prophylaxis, there was no significant correlation between age, practice duration and the knowledge (p=0.009 and p=0.308). However, correlation between age and practice duration by knowledge of the latest prophylactic regimens was significant (p<0.001). The relation between sex and knowledge was not significant (p=0.12).
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate the necessities of reevaluation of current education programs for dentists in order to provide more information to dentists regarding the prophylaxis of infective endocarditis.
MJTUMS, NO. 64, 40-44, 2005