[Perioperative Oral Management of Lung Cancer Patients; Medical, Dental, and Regional Dental Clinic Collaboration].

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To prevent oral problems in lung cancer patients, dental intervention should be performed in conjunction with cancer treatment in cancer base hospitals. This paper reports on the perioperative oral care management of lung cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 2013 to August 2015, perioperative oral management was performed in 123 patients undergoing pulmonary lobectomy. We ensure cooperation between the departments of medicine and dentistry. First, the dentist plans oral management based on the patient's individual oral status. Then, the actual oral management is performed by an in-hospital dentist and at the regional dental clinic. RESULTS: The patients comprised 70 males and 53 females with an average age of 69.4 years;118 had primary lung cancer and 5 had metastatic lung cancer. Abnormal findings were detected in approximately 50% of the patients, of whom 6 received oral treatment before starting their cancer treatment. Two patients(1.3%)had postoperative complications. In all cases, the oral care support team provided both tooth and oral mucosal care. CONCLUSION: About half of the referred patients required oral treatment. There were no serious adverse events due to the oral care intervention. Further investigation is necessary to establish appropriate treatment policy guidelines for dental disease requiring oral maintenance.