ODONTOLOGIA HOSPITALAR: Inclusão, e a importância do cirurgião-dentista nas unidades de saúde geral e terapia intensiva no Brasil

Hospital dentistry is currently of great importance due to the context of socioeconomic inequalities in Brazil, where a significant part of the population cannot afford private dental treatments. This a very important field because socioeconomic inequalities in the country make access to private dental treatments difficult, emphasizing the need for dental care services to be offered in hospitals. The main objective of this study was to highlight the relevance of the dental surgeon and dentists in hospitals, particularly in intensive care units (ICUs), where this professional plays a crucial role in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of oral diseases that may interfere with medical treatment and worsen patients’ conditions. This article also explores the advances of hospital dentistry in Brazil and the correlation between oral health and various diseases, stressing the need for proper treatment. The research was conducted through a qualitative literature review in databases such as SciELO, Google Scholar, and PubMed. The literature indicates that the presence of a dentist in the multidisciplinary ICU team is indispensable, especially for treating oral complications related to intubation and extubation. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the role of the hospital dentist became even more crucial, helping to prevent hospital-acquired infections originating from the oral cavity of intubated patients. Thus, this study reinforces the importance of hospital dentistry in Brazil for providing better quality of life for hospitalized patients.