Abstract
The study objective was to evaluate the long-term influence of non-radical surgical and restorative dental treatment modalities prior to elective cardiac valve replacement on the subsequent dental treatment demand. A total of 305 patients preceding cardiac valve surgery were screened and the appropriate dental treatment was initiated. After 36 months 80 patients were re-evaluated clinically, of which 60 required dental restorations of 155 teeth, mostly due to periodontal pathology. Independent of the sub-group there was a statistically substantial increase of the treatment demand compared to the time of initial examination. In addition, at the time of final re-evaluation the definite treatment need significantly increased far beyond anticipation, potentially due to inadequate dental procedures during the follow-up interval. Irrespective of any dental treatment or antibiotic application, endocarditis did not occur in any patient. Non-radical dental restoration prior to cardiac valve replacement can only be successful, if a standardized dental follow-up with common monitoring forms is provided. The risk of prosthetic valve infective endocarditis based on a dental focus is probably overestimated.
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