Perioperative medicine & outcomes
Postoperative outcomes associated with preoperative oral hygiene in elective surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Pooled result · PneumoniaResult — go to the resultOdds ratio 0.42 95% CI 0.27–0.66Authors' conclusion
Preoperative oral hygiene significantly decreases postoperative infections and shortens hospital and ICU stay.
Study context
- Population
- Adults undergoing elevated-risk elective surgery
- Participants
- 5,757 adults · 19 studies
- Comparison
- Preoperative oral hygiene vs no preoperative oral hygiene
- Outcome
- Pneumonia, infection (nosocomial, surgical site, respiratory, urinary tract), hospital and ICU LOS, and all-cause mortality
Methodological detailsGRADE certainty assessment
- GRADE certainty assessment
Pooled result
Pneumonia
Odds ratio
0.42
95% CI 0.27–0.66
P < 0.001
Oral hygiene vs Control
OR 0.42 (95% CI 0.27–0.66); P < 0.001
As reported in the abstract
Further pooled results
| Outcome | OR (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nosocomial infection | 0.56 (0.44–0.71) | P < 0.001 | |
| Surgical site infection | 0.62 (0.42–0.92) | P = 0.02 | |
| Respiratory infection | 0.62 (0.41–0.93) | P = 0.02 | |
| 0.512Odds ratio (log scale) |
Hospital length of stay (LOS)
- Hospital LOS reduced: MD −1.09 days, 95% CI −1.73 to −0.45
- P < 0.001
ICU LOS
- ICU LOS reduced: MD −0.14 days, 95% CI −0.27 to −0.00
- P = 0.04
Urinary tract infection and mortality
- No significant association with urinary tract infections or mortality
Original publication
Postoperative outcomes associated with preoperative oral hygiene in elective surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Anaesth Crit Care Pain Med. Published 6 February 2026. doi:10.
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