What is Bacteremia ? And How Bacteremia Enters Into Bloodstream

Recent study among several dental patients conducted by known and experienced health care researchers have pointed out several measures of bacteremia. This term basically refers to bacteria being released into the bloodstream.

Various dental procedures which can or usually lead to bacteremia are – tooth brushing, a single tooth extraction with a preventive antibiotic and a single tooth extraction with a placebo.

As was expected, researchers found bacteria in the blood more often with the two extraction groups than with the brushing group. However, the incidence of bacteremia from brushing was closer to an extraction than expected. This lead to the conclusion that bacteria gets into the bloodstream hundreds of times a year, not only from tooth brushing, but also from other routine daily activities like chewing food, kissing etc.

The study also indicated that the preventive antibiotics should be used before starting with most dental procedures for the great majority of those at risk for infective endocarditis (IE) – a rare but life-threatening infection of the lining of the heart or heart valve that usually occurs when bacteria enters the bloodstream of the patient.

The team of researchers now also recommends preventive antibiotics only for patients at the highest risk for a bad outcome from infective endocarditis (IE).

Learned researchers also found though elaborate study that bacteria did enter the bloodstream in most patients early during a dental extraction or tooth brushing, and that bacteria can still be found in the blood as long as an hour after these procedures in a small number of cases.

One of the experts in dental health also commented that chances of bacteria entering the patients bloodstream are lower in case of brushing of teeth, but then these daily or routine activities likely pose a greater risk for IE . Reason being pretty obvious :Frequency. Which means is, bacteremia from brushing twice a day for 365 days a year versus once or twice a year for dental office visits involving teeth related procedures or dental fillings.