A patient requires open heart surgery. The patient has 1–2 non-restorable teeth that need extraction before surgery. What is the minimum clearance period (days after cardiac surgery) before dental treatment can be performed?

Correct answer: D. 14 days

• A. Incorrect. 7 days is insufficient — the surgical wound is still in early healing and the risk of bacteremia causing infection of the cardiac graft is very high.
• B. Incorrect. While 30 days is safer, the minimum threshold identified in the recall is 14 days.
• C. Incorrect. 6 months is the ideal elective-care waiting period, not the minimum.
• D. CORRECT. A minimum of 14 days clearance is required after open heart surgery before performing invasive dental procedures. This allows the surgical wound to stabilize sufficiently and reduces the risk of hematogenous seeding of the operative site. For truly elective procedures, 6 months is the typical recommendation.