Relationship between dental caries and total joint arthroplasty at a Veterans Administration hospital.

It has previously been suspected that patients who undergo extensive dental procedures after having had a total joint arthroplasty (TJA) within the preceding 2 years may be at risk for seeding their TJA with infection if prophylaxis antibiotic coverage is not implemented one hour prior to the dental procedure. A review of the literature was performed to determine whether there may be other infections which may be accountable for TJA infections within the first 2 years following a TJA. Patients with systemic diseases, those who undergo extensive dental procedures, those with bladder or skin infection were found to be at risk for development of a TJA if prophylactic antibiotic therapy was not implemented in a timely manner.