Infective endocarditis and oral surgery input before cardiac surgery: time to prick the paradigm of pre-cardiac surgery assessments?

Purpose To review current practice regarding oral surgery input for patients awaiting cardiac valvular surgery and who are at risk of infective endocarditis (IE) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to stimulate debate around the indications for pre-operative oral surgery assessment. It also opens the way to developing a new research-based approach which is patient-centred, safe, effective and efficient.Methods A desk-top based patient review was undertaken between 27 March 2020 and 1 July 2022 to record the outcome of patients undergoing cardiac valvular surgery in Northern Ireland, following the revision of the referral guidelines for oral surgery intervention. Data were collected for all cardiac referrals to the oral surgery on-call service in the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. Complications were recorded at two weeks, two months, and six months post-surgery, using Northern Ireland Electronic Care Records.Results In total, 67 cardiac patients were identified between 27 March 2020 and 1 July 2022: 65.7% of patients were male and had an average age of 68, while the female patients had an average age of 61. The mean interval of date of cardiology referral to surgery date was 9.7 working days, with 36% of patients referred within five days of the planned surgery date. Moreover, 39% had valvular surgery in combination with another type of cardiac surgery. No complications linked to dental aetiology were noted.Conclusions This paper raises questions about the advisability of oral surgery input before cardiac surgery for anything other than pain relief, management of acute dental sepsis, or IE whose source has been identified as an oral commensal. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an opportunity to review current practice and open the way to developing a new approach which is patient-centred, safe, effective and efficient.

Prevalence and management of patients with hypodontia: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Hypodontia is one of the most common anomalies in dentistry. Hypodontia has a negative impact on oral health-related quality of life with patients best seen in a multidisciplinary clinic to improve treatment outcomes. AIM: To investigate the prevalence of hypodontia and its association with other dental anomalies, as well as malocclusion, and to investigate the treatment planned for patients attending the clinic and whether the type of missing teeth affected the proposed treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Analysis of consecutive patients attending the hypodontia clinic at a dental hospital between February and November 2020. A total of 100 patients who met the inclusion criteria were identified. Data collected included the following: age/sex; number and type of missing teeth; pre-treatment occlusion; presence of other dental anomalies; and planned treatment. RESULTS: A total of 100 patients (55% female; age range = 7-41 years; mean age = 18 years) were included. Of the cohort, 47% had a class I skeletal relationship and participants were significantly less likely to have a class III skeletal or incisor relationship; 45% had another dental anomaly with the most common being microdontia. Space opening was the preferred treatment option for those managed by orthodontic treatment with resin-bonded bridges most likely to be used for restoration of spaces, 86%. CONCLUSION: Lower second premolars were the most commonly missing teeth. Participants were significantly less likely to have a class III incisor or skeletal relationship than class I or II. Space opening was the favoured approach for orthodontic treatment, particularly for maxillary lateral incisors.

Serial step sections at narrow intervals with immunohistochemistry are required for accurate histological assessment of sentinel lymph node biopsy in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is an accurate staging modality in early oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), but its accuracy relies on labor-intensive histopathology protocols. We sought to determine whether serial step sections with immunohistochemistry (SSSIHC) at narrow intervals of the entire SLN are required to accurately exclude metastasis. METHODS: Consecutive SLN biopsies over a 13-year period were retrospectively evaluated. If the index section was negative for carcinoma, the entire SLN was subjected to SSSIHC at 150 µm intervals. The first section level and total number of section levels to contain carcinoma were recorded. RESULTS: One hundred and eighteen SLN+ from 90 patients were included. SSSIHC upstaged the nodal status in 19.5% of patients. Metastasis was identified in 16.7% and 10.2% beyond section levels 4 and 6, respectively. Among SLNs requiring SSSIHC, 47.5% contained carcinoma in a single section level. CONCLUSION: SSSIHC of the entire SLN at 150 µm intervals are required to identify occult metastasis in OSCC.