Oral hygiene as a risk factor in infective endocarditis

There are many known associations between oral and systemic diseases. This review paper summarizes the proposed mechanisms underlying the links between dental disease and cardiovascular disease before introducing recent research regarding bacteria-platelet interactions. New protein factors have been identified on dental plaque bacteria. One of these, PadA, triggers blood to clot. This research provides new information about how Streptococcus bacteria and platelets interact and could lead to the development of new ways to control the formation of blood clots caused by micro-organisms that access the bloodstream. CPD/Clinical Relevance: This article aims to provide the whole dental team with an overview of bacteria-platelet interactions. This is of particular relevance to infective endocarditis and the recent change in wording to the NICE antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines in the UK.