The Oral Health Assessment Tool score is an independent risk factor for postoperative pneumonia after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer

Background: The present study explored whether or not the Oral Health Assessment tool (OHAT) score is a risk factor of postoperative pneumonia after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Methods: This study included 47 patients who underwent curative surgery for esophageal cancer between 2008 and 2018. The rate of postoperative pneumonia was measured by the revised Uniform Pneumonia Score. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for postoperative pneumonia. Results: Postoperative pneumonia was found in 18 of the 47 patients (38.3%). Among the various factors examined (age, gender, preoperative chemotherapy status, operative type, operative duration, blood loss, lymph node dissection, alcohol habit, OHAT score), the OHAT score (p = 0.006) and age (p = 0.040) were identified as significant independent risk factors for postoperative pneumonia in univariate and multivariate analyses. The incidence of postoperative pneumonia was 5% (1 of 20) in the OHAT ≤2 group and 51.9% (14 of 27) in the OHAT ≥3 group. Conclusion: The OHAT score is a risk factor for postoperative pneumonia in patients who have undergone curative esopha- gectomy for esophageal cancer. To improve the oncological outcomes of patients with esophageal cancer, it is necessary to carefully plan perioperative oral/dental care using the OHAT score.