AAOS now states that,
"Given the potential adverse outcomes and cost of treating an infected joint replacement, the AAOS recommends that clinicians consider antibiotic prophylaxis for all total joint replacement patients prior to any invasive procedure that may cause bacteremia."

By contrast, the 2003 advisory statement recommended antibiotic prophylaxis for all patients within the first two years after replacement surgery only; after two years, the recommendation for prophylaxis was limited to patients who had comorbidities that might place them at increased risk for hematogenous total joint infection (i.e. immunocompromised patients).

Specific dental procedures that may potentially cause a bacteremia are not identified in the new statement. In the 2003 statement, the following procedures were identified as having a higher incidence of bacteremia: dental extractions; periodontal procedures, including surgery, subgingival placement of antiobiotic fibers/strips, scaling and root planing, probing, recall maintenance; dental implant placement and replantation of avulsed teeth; endodontic (root canal) instrumentation or surgery only beyond the apex; initial placement of orthodontic bands but not brackets; intraligamentary and intraosseous local anesthetic injections; prophylactic cleaning of teeth or implants where bleeding is anticipated.