ORAL ALTERATIONS ASSESSMENT IN PATIENTS AT A HOSPITAL IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Abstract

Objectives The objective of this study was to evaluate and describe the prevalence of the most common causes for oral examination needs during hospitalization or outpatient care. Study Design This cross-sectional study analyzed the main oral examination needs and procedures in oral medicine performed from January 2018 to July 2020. Results A total of 470 patients were included in this study, including hospitalized patients (n = 325) and outpatients (n = 145). In both groups, more than 50% of the patients were female and married. The main cause for the medical or interdisciplinary team to request oral mucosa evaluation was dysphagia (64.46%), dry mouth (44.77%), mucositis (27.2%), fungal infection (20.2%), dry lips (11.06%), and traumatic ulcer (10.6%). Other conditions and/or procedures, including tooth extractions, odontogenic infections, and prosthesis adjustments, corresponded to 61.27%. Between-group analysis showed that hospitalized patients were 9.5 times more likely to present these oral mucosa alterations (48.3%). Conclusions This study provides information on the most frequent oral alterations among outpatients and hospitalized patients. The knowledge of this scenario in different complexities may improve the quality of health care, especially preventive measures. This knowledge may also reduce health care costs with more efficient approaches. The objective of this study was to evaluate and describe the prevalence of the most common causes for oral examination needs during hospitalization or outpatient care. This cross-sectional study analyzed the main oral examination needs and procedures in oral medicine performed from January 2018 to July 2020. A total of 470 patients were included in this study, including hospitalized patients (n = 325) and outpatients (n = 145). In both groups, more than 50% of the patients were female and married. The main cause for the medical or interdisciplinary team to request oral mucosa evaluation was dysphagia (64.46%), dry mouth (44.77%), mucositis (27.2%), fungal infection (20.2%), dry lips (11.06%), and traumatic ulcer (10.6%). Other conditions and/or procedures, including tooth extractions, odontogenic infections, and prosthesis adjustments, corresponded to 61.27%. Between-group analysis showed that hospitalized patients were 9.5 times more likely to present these oral mucosa alterations (48.3%). This study provides information on the most frequent oral alterations among outpatients and hospitalized patients. The knowledge of this scenario in different complexities may improve the quality of health care, especially preventive measures. This knowledge may also reduce health care costs with more efficient approaches.