Usefulness of Preoperative Oral Screening for Safe Anesthesia Management

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Dental Hygiene
• Perioperative Medicine

Background:

• Preoperative assessment is vital for patient safety and reducing complications.
• A hospital established a preoperative outpatient clinic for surgical patients.
• A selective dental intervention system was implemented due to high patient volume.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of preoperative oral screening by dental hygienists for patients undergoing anesthesia.
• To assess challenges associated with this selective dental intervention system.
• To analyze dental complication incidence, referral patterns, and anesthesiologist perceptions.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of dental issues before and after clinic establishment (Jan 2012-Oct 2019 vs. Nov 2019-Dec 2024).
• Questionnaire survey of anesthesiologists regarding the need for dental intervention.
• Primary outcome: incidence of dental complications during anesthesia.

Main Results:

• A decrease in dental problems during anesthesia was observed after the clinic's establishment (p=0.036).
• Anesthesiologists acknowledged dental risks, especially during intubation/extubation.
• Dental hygienist notes alerted anesthesiologists to potential oral health issues.

Conclusions:

• Universal dental intervention by dentists for all anesthesia patients is resource-prohibitive.
• Preoperative oral screening by dental hygienists is crucial for safe anesthesia management.
• Limitations include inability to inspect diagnostic images and assess jawbone lesions.