Infective endocarditis in children following dental extraction and appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis

Infective endocarditis is a rare but important complication of certain types of dental treatment. Antibiotic prophylaxis is routinely prescribed for patients with known congenital heart disease. In this report we describe two patients in whom endocarditis developed within 3 months of the dental procedure, despite appropriate antibiotics. Endocarditis should be actively excluded if patients develop a fever associated with non-specific symptoms following an 'at risk' dental procedure.