A recent study has claimed that children who do not have gingivitis do not have bacteremia following dental manipulations and that these children do not require antibiotic prophylaxis. Postoperative blood cultures from 53 children and adolescents with and without gingivitis drawn within ten minutes of elevation of the gums, extraction of teeth, and extensive gin givectomies were sterile in all cases. The collec tion and laboratory methods and media were carefully evaluated and found satisfactory. However, the time interval between the dental procedure and the collection of the blood is believed to have been too short for reliable results and that the abandonment of the anti biotic prophylaxis in children is unwarranted.
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