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Dental Care Before Cancer Surgery can Prevent Postoperative Complications

by Hannah Joy on Aug 9 2018 1:38 PM

Dental care before surgery can help reduce postoperative complications in cancer patients. Following this strategy can help prevent postoperative complications.

Dental Care Before Cancer Surgery can Prevent Postoperative Complications
Preoperative oral care can help reduce postoperative complications in patients who undergo cancer surgery, reveals a new study published in BJS (British Journal of Surgery).//
Of 509,179 patients studied, 16% received preoperative oral care from a dentist.

When a surgeon requested that a dentist provide preoperative oral care to a patient with cancer, the dentist:


  • checked the patient's oral condition
  • provided professional tooth cleaning
  • taught the patient self-cleaning methods for the teeth, and
  • provided any treatment needed
In the study, 15,724 patients (3.09%) developed postoperative pneumonia and 1734 (0.34%) died within 30 days of surgery. After adjustments, preoperative oral care by a dentist was linked with a decrease in postoperative pneumonia (3.28% versus 3.76%) and death within 30 days (0.30% versus 0.42%).

"The findings could help improve strategies for the prevention of postoperative complications," the authors wrote.



Source-Eurekalert


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