Antibiotic Prophylaxis Against Infective Endocarditis implementation advice
Published March 2026 (2nd edition)
The second edition of the SDCEP Antibiotic Prophylaxis Against Infective Endocarditis implementation advice has been developed to assist dental teams to implement dentally relevant recommendations from NICE Clinical Guideline 64 (CG64) Prophylaxis against infective endocarditis.
The updated implementation advice aims to provide clear and practical advice for dental teams on how to implement CG64 and provide appropriate care for patients at increased risk of infective endocarditis, with an emphasis on shared decision making.
It is presented within a dedicated website (www.antibioticprophylaxis.sdcep.org.uk) to aid accessibility, navigation and updating.
Supporting tools include an aid to support discussions with patients and parents or carers and provide reassurance about their care, a patient information leaflet and glossaries of cardiac and dental terms. Specific advice is provided for cardiac surgery and cardiology teams, and the implementation advice will also be of relevance to pharmacists and other relevant healthcare professionals.
The advice has been developed by a broad group of stakeholders that included individuals from relevant branches of the dental profession and other healthcare disciplines, including cardiology, cardiac surgery, pharmacy, and microbiology, with patient representatives.
The implementation advice has been endorsed by the dental faculties of the Royal Surgical Colleges, the British Cardiovascular Society, the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery, the British Heart Valve Society and the British Congenital Cardiac Association as source of reliable, high quality professional advice. Use of this implementation advice is supported by the Chief Dental Officers of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
