Bacteremia is a recognized sequela of dental scaling and oral surgery in patients with severe periodontal disease. A small study sought to assess whether transient bacteremia developed after dental scaling, root planing and dental extractions, as well as whether the amount of bacteremia warranted antibiotics.
Perioperative use of systemic antibiotics for dental procedures in healthy dogs may not be warranted.”
Source: Clinician’s Brief, April 2024. Link.
NOTE: Systemic bacteremia may not be the only criteria on which to base use of antibiotic therapy.
INSIGHTS: Many practices automatically put dental procedure patients on an anti-infective. Some start the patient on antibiotics a few days ahead of the procedure. This small study challenges that practice in alignment with industry concerns about antimicrobial resistance.