Factors that influence the judgment of oral management necessity in preoperative oral screening

Abstract

Oral management during the perioperative period is important to prevent the development of postoperative complications. However, there are no unified systems to examine the oral status of patients and very few studies have focused on preoperative oral screening. In this study, we examined the oral status of patients who underwent oral screening at a University Hospital. A total of 1173 patients who underwent oral screening for perioperative management from April 2020 to July 2021 were enrolled. The subjects’ medical data were retrospectively extracted from the dental records, and finally, the data of 1081 patients aged ≥20 years were analyzed. Oral screening based on seven categories was performed by dentists or dental hygienists. Our cumulative results determined whether patients required oral management during the perioperative period. “Poor oral hygiene” was the most frequent category (24%) of all oral categories examined. Logistic analysis revealed that tooth mobility had the highest odds ratio (21.476; 95% confidence interval: 11.462–40.239; p < 0.001) for oral management necessity during the perioperative period. Our study suggests that poor oral hygiene is most frequently observed in preoperative oral screening. Moreover, tooth mobility in preoperative oral screening may influence the judgment of oral management necessity during the perioperative period.