Oral management to prevent postoperative aspiration pneumonia：review

Abstract

Postoperative pneumonia has a significant impact on the prognosis. It has been shown that oral care before and after surgery leads to the prevention of organ diseases unrelated to the oral cavity, such as pneumonia. At Hyogo Medical University Hospital, we work on oral management （OM） including oral care. OM emphasizes dental treatment and education for patients and medical staff as well as oral care. As dental treatment, we extract and fix loose teeth before surgery, and prepare the oral environment so that postoperative oral care can be performed easily. Furthermore, comprehensive efforts such as educating nurses on how to collect pharyngeal contaminants generated during oral care and moisturize, can increase the preventive effect of postoperative pneumonia more than mere oral care.