The prevalence of mitral valve prolapse in patients with Down's syndrome: implications for dental management.

Eighty-three noninstitutionalized patients with Down's syndrome, aged 9 to 55 years, were randomly selected to receive echocardiograms. Forty-one patients had echocardiographic findings indicative of mitral valve prolapse, and 15 of these patients lacked associated auscultatory findings. Because mitral valve prolapse can predispose patients to bacterial endocarditis after bacteremia-producing dental procedures, these findings suggest that if auscultatory findings alone are used, a significant number of patients with Down's syndrome who are at risk for endocarditis may not be currently identified in the course of routine clinical practice.