title: The perioperative dental screening and management of patients undergoing cardiothoracic, vascular surgery and other cardiovascular invasive procedures: A systematic review.
abstract: Background One controversial issue in the relationship between oral care and cardiovascular diseases is how and whether to manage oral infections prior to cardiovascular surgery or other cardiovascular invasive procedures. Design We designed a systematic review to assess the information available on three main questions. Is there an agreement on the need for dental evaluation and treatment before cardiovascular interventions? Are consistent clinical recommendations or protocols available? Is dental treatment prior to cardiovascular interventions effective? Methods A systematic electronic search of MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science was performed from the database inceptions up to 31 April 2016. Searches were performed using Boolean operators to combine medical subject headings and free text words. Because this review included a large, heterogeneous group of study designs and sources, the results were synthesised in a narrative approach. Results In total, 2447 studies were identified: 2099 (+241 duplicates) were excluded after screening; 107 were included for full-text assessment; 55 were excluded for not meeting the inclusion criteria; and 11 were not available. Thus, 44 studies meeting the inclusion criteria were analysed. We found that, for patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery, there is a general agreement on the need for screening and treatment of dental infections, but not on the protocols. We also found that there are conflicting indications on when and to what extent to perform the treatment and that the risk-to-benefit ratios for these treatments are controversial. Conclusion No satisfactory answers regarding dental care before cardiovascular invasive procedures are available.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cotti
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Surgery, Microsurgery and Medical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Mariantonietta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arrica
authors.affiliation: 3 Cardiovascular Centre of Trieste, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Lenarda
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Serri
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Cardiology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Pierpaolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bassareo
authors.affiliation: 5 Department of Cardiology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Padeletti
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Cardiology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mercuro
mesh_terms: D013504:Cardiovascular Surgical Procedures; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003945:Diagnosis, Oral; D006801:Humans; D019990:Perioperative Care; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures
keywords: Dental care; angioplasty; aortic surgery; cardiac surgical procedures; coronarography; heart surgery; periapical abscesses; periodontal debridement; periodontitis; tooth extractions