The occurrence of consistent bacterial flora, cultured from dental foci, blood, and heart valves, in patients with acquired heart disease in the course of acute and chronic bacterial endocarditis, was assessed.  Moreover, the nature of the changes in dental foci as well as in bacterial flora, associated with bacterial endocarditis, was described.  Throughout 1990-95 sixty patients, aged 19-69 (average 49), with acquired heart disease, with history of bacterial endocarditis, and the occurrence of at least two dentigenous, inflammatory foci were examined, having been qualified for the heart valve placement procedure.  Full medical examination was the basis for the qualification in the study.  Medical histories of the group spanned several weeks to 30 years.  The material for bacteriological studies included: heart valves with inflammatory abnormalities, dentigenous foci, and blood.  Extracted, dead teeth, as well as swabs from the periapical area of the extracted teeth and parodontium, served as the material for bacteriological examination.  A consistency of the results from dentigenous foci, blood and heart valves was observed in 14 persons altogether, were the genus Staphylococcus was present in the course of acute endocarditis, whereas in chronic endocarditis the Streptococcus was found (in 50%), while the ramining 50% constituted the genera Staphylococcus and Gemella, in equal quantities.  An association between the intradental foci bacteria and the consistency of the cultures is sugnifican (p<0.017).  The consistent bacterial flora from dentigenous foci, blood and heart valves would occur significantly more often in acute endocarditis (75%) than in its chronic form (15.4%).  The contribution of the dentigenous foci in the pathogenesis of bacterial endo-carditis was proven by the consistency of the bacteria from dental foci, blood and heart valves in 14 patient.

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