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| Professor Allan Wailoo |
A new study has shown guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advising dentists to stop prescribing antibiotics before invasive treatment may not have been efficient or cost-effective.
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| Dr Matt Franklin |
A team of international researchers, led by Professor Martin Thornhill from the University of Sheffield’s School of Clinical Dentistry, along with health economists Professor Allan Wailoo and Dr Matthew Franklin from the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) also at the University of Sheffield, discovered the decision made by NICE in 2008 recommending dentists should stop prescribing antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) for those at risk of the life-threatening infective endocarditis (IE) is likely to be less cost-effective than providing the treatment.
The new economic evaluation showed that prescribing AP could save £5.5 million to £8.2 million annually for the NHS. IE is a rare but serious infection of the heart lining caused by infectious agents, or pathogens, which are largely bacterial.
Link to the paper is here:
For more information about the team’s previous studies please visit: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/scientists-identify-serious-heart-infection-1.420549