Infective endocarditis (IE) is an infection of the endothelial surface of the heart and heart valves with serious, even fatal complications and that often requires long-term treatment. Many dental procedures may lead to IE in high-risk patients. The aim of the present study was to assess the awareness and knowledge of graduating medical and dental students at Qassim university, KSA regarding prevention of infective endocarditis. A questionnaire was circulated to the last year medical and dental students. An acceptable level of success of the test was defined as at least 7 correct answers out of 13 (53%). Out of 118 students participating in this study, 65 (47.4%) passed the test successfully. The pass-rate of medical students (45/93 or 48.4%) was higher than that of dental students (11/25 or 44%). This study showed that knowledge concerning the prevention of IE among the dental and medical students was moderate and a necessity of more education in this field.
Keywords:Infective Endocarditis, Knowledge, Dental Students, Medical Students