Pre-medical dental evaluation and treatment of oral infection – a survey study among hospital-affiliated dentists in Sweden

Abstract

Objective To examine how hospital-affiliated dentists assess risk and evaluate oral foci of infection in patients facing certain medical treatments, and whether the nature of upcoming medical treatment affects the choice of dental intervention. Materials and methods A survey comprising six clinical cases (50 teeth) was sent to hospital-affiliated dentists in Sweden. A treatment option for the affected tooth/teeth in each case was selected whether the patient was facing heart valve surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, intravenous bisphosphonate treatment, solid organ transplantation or was diagnosed with endocarditis. Results Consensus in choice of dental treatment was high in 62%, moderate in 32% and low in 6% of the assessments. High variability of choice of treatment was seen for eight teeth whereas the remaining 42 teeth often received the same therapy regardless of medical issue. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy were thought to entail the highest risk for oral infectious sequelae with a risk ranging from 1% to 100%. Conclusion Pre-medical dental evaluations and recommended treatments are often uniform with the exception of the management of asymptomatic root canal treated teeth with persisting apical radiolucency and heavily decayed molars. In many instances, dental diagnosis has a greater impact on choice of treatment than the underlying medical issue and associated implications thereof.