Dental Care and Heart Valve Surgery: Current Concepts and Clinical Practice
Cardiac surgery; dental care; infective endocarditis; prosthetic valve; oral health; valve surgery
AuthorAbstractDental care is an integral component of the preoperative assessment and long-term management of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Poor oral health is associated with transient bacteremia, infective endocarditis (IE), prosthetic valve infection, systemic inflammation, and adverse postoperative outcomes. The increasing use of prosthetic heart valves, annuloplasty rings, vascular grafts, and transcatheter valve prostheses has renewed interest in optimizing oral health before cardiac interventions. Current international guidelines recommend dental evaluation before elective valve surgery whenever feasible, although evidence supporting routine prophylactic dental extraction remains limited. The timing of dental procedures, perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis, and postoperative oral hygiene require careful multidisciplinary coordination between cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, and dentists. This minireview summarizes current evidence regarding oral health assessment, preoperative dental management, timing of interventions, infective endocarditis prevention, and future directions in perioperative dental care.
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