Vulnerable Britons dying as not being given antibiotics at dentist, doctors say

Exclusive: Refusal to approve antibiotic prophylaxis for those at risk of infective endocarditis may have increased deaths

• How infective endocarditis deaths among UK dental patients can be avoided

Patients are dying needlessly every year due to vulnerable Britons with heart problems not being given antibiotics when they visit the dentist, doctors have said.

Almost 400,000 people in the UK are at high risk of developing life-threatening infective endocarditis any time they have dental treatment, the medics say. The condition kills 30% of sufferers within a year.