Abstract
Following the revision of dental fees in 2012, oral function management for the perioperative period was newly established for the purpose of comprehensive management. We investigated the current status of oral function management for the perioperative period in children at designated hospitals for pediatric cancer from 2012 to 2018 (7 years).
Of the 568 patients referred by the medical department of our hospital to the department of pediatric dentistry during the study period, 259 (45.6%) underwent perioperative oral function management. Of these, more than half, that is 142 (54.8%) patients, were preschoolers aged 1–6 years. Management associated with surgery and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was performed in 124 (47.9%) patients, and the remaining 135 (52.1%) underwent radiation therapy or chemotherapy. The latter has increased, particularly since 2015. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (44 cases, 17.0%) was the most common systemic disease, followed by neuroblastoma (19 cases, 7.3%), chronic granulomatous disease (19 cases, 7.3%), acute myeloid leukemia (18 cases, 7.0%), and osteosarcoma (18 cases, 7.0%). The average number of times of providing care per patient was 13.1 and the maximum was 80 (management period: approximately 1 year and 2 months). There were many cases in which care was required beyond the number of times that insurance could be calculated.
Oral management from a long-term perspective is required not only during the perioperative period but also for late-stage disorders that occur after radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
