[New guidelines on the prevention of infective endocarditis. Special aspects for dentists]

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a disease with serious, even fatal complications, often requiring long-term and expensive treatment. Therefore, prophylaxis has emerging importance. Previous guidelines suggested the use of prophylactic treatment for a wide range of patients and procedures. The Working Group of the European Society of Cardiology accepted a new guideline on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infective endocarditis in 2009. One of its major point is a radical decrease in the type of procedures requiring prophylaxis. These changes also affect dental and oral surgical procedures. It is important for dentists and oral surgeons to come to know the changes and to apply them in their everyday practice.