Post-operative infection by pathogenic micro-organisms in the oral cavity of patients with prostatic carcinoma

The aim of this study was to analyse the change in the oral cavity microflora of 14 patients who had undergone a radical prostatectomy for prostatic carcinoma. The detection of micro-organisms in the oral cavity was compared before and after the surgical procedure. Post-operative infection, defined as those patients who had increased Candida species counts and/or pathogenic bacteria only at the post-operative examination, was observed in 10 patients. Six patients showed increased Candida species counts at the post-operative examination compared with the pre-operative examination. In five patients, pathogenic bacterial species were detected at the post-operative examination but not at the pre-operative examination. One patient had detectable pathogenic bacterial species only at the post-operative examination along with increased Candida species counts. Our findings suggest that pre-operative oral hygiene to remove bacterial and Candida species from patients who are scheduled for surgical procedures is important for satisfactory clinical outcomes.