Congenital cardiac disease and contemporary dental care of the pediatric patient: a cardiologist's point of view.
Good dental health makes common sense--even more so in patients with underlying cardiac abnormalities. Today, the practising dentist may be confronted by an ever-increasing cohort of patients who have survived complicated repairs of congenital cardiac abnormalities. A basic knowledge of such conditions is useful, primarily to gain an understanding of the physiological abnormalities that may be adversely influenced by dental manipulation. This article reviews some of the important points that practising dentists should know about patients with congenital cardiac disease.