Prevalence, duration and aetiology of bacteraemia following dental extractions

Abstract

In our series, the majority of patients undergoing dental extractions developed bacteraemia, usually of a streptococcal nature, independently of the grade of oral health and of the number of extractions performed. Positive blood cultures persisted for at least 1 h after the dental procedure in a considerable number of patients, questioning the supposedly transient nature of bacteraemia following dental extractions.