Prevalence of Dental Disease in Patients Undergoing Heart Valve Surgery

(Department of Cardiovascular Surgery1) and Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery2), Kanto Medical Center NTT EC, Tokyo, Japan and Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Tokyo Womenfs Medical University Medical Center East3), Tokyo, Japan)

Yoshitsugu Nakamura1) Osamu Tagusari1) Kenichi Saito2)
Shizu Oyamada1) Kentaro Honda1) Nobuyuki Homma1)
Ryozo Miyamoto Kiyoharu Nakano3)
Bacteremia from dental disease is the most important cause of infective endocarditis in patients with heart valve disease. However, the prevalence of dental disease in patients undergoing valve surgery has not been clarified. One hundred thirty-seven patients had a dental check-up before heart valve surgery, 82 patients (59.9%) had significant dental disease which could have caused bacteremia. All patients with the dental disease underwent extraction preoperatively. There was neither complication in extraction nor any influence on heart valve surgery. Postoperative hospital stay was not prolonged due to the extraction. During the mean follow-up period of 30 months, no infective endocarditis was seen. The prevalence of dental disease was high in patients undergoing heart valve surgery. Preoperative treatment of dental disease did not have a negative impact on the postoperative course and hospital stay in heart valve surgery.
@Jpn. J. Cardiovasc. Surg. 37:213-216 (2008)