An audit of pre-operative dental radiographs in patients who received no pre-operative dental input before cardiovalvular surgery.

Purpose To radiographically characterise dental disease burden and related characteristics of referred patients awaiting cardiovalvular surgery (CVS) in the context of infective endocarditis (IE) risk.Methods Radiographic evidence of dental disease levels was assessed for patients referred for dental assessment pre-CVS using available orthopantomographs (OPTs) prescribed by the cardiology team. This group did not receive any pre-CVS dental intervention or treatment.

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.