Perioperative Oral Management in University Hospital: The Role and Future Prospects of Preventive Dentistry

Abstract

Perioperative oral management is a novel approach in dentistry to prevent the adverse events associated with medical treatments such as cancer surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Perioperative oral management involves not only oral care but also the treatment and eradication of oral infections; this requires an understanding of both general diseases and dental practices such as oral surgery and prosthetic dentistry. Dentists specializing in preventive dentistry should actively participate in perioperative oral management, as this practice will further the development of procedures for preventive dentistry. However, standard oral management methods based on evidence of their effectiveness have not been established. Perioperative oral management was initiated in 2012 at Nagasaki University Hospital. Here, we outline our approach to perioperative oral management and some of the multicenter clinical studies at Nagasaki University Hospital.