{
  "abstract": "Background: Patients undergoing oral cancer resection and free-flap reconstruction often have limited capacity for independent oral hygiene during the immediate postoperative period. Standardized bedside oral supportive-care pathways may help organize early postoperative care, but their implementation and accompanying early oral-health recovery have not been well characterized prospectively.\n\nMethods: This prospective, single-center observational cohort study included 36 adults undergoing oral cancer resection with free-flap reconstruction who received a structured early postoperative oral supportive-care pathway beginning on the day of surgery. The primary outcome domains for the present manuscript were pathway implementation, short-term tolerability, and early oral-health recovery from postoperative day 3 (POD3) to POD13. Clindamycin-based and chlorhexidine-based formulations were both used in routine clinical care and were not assigned by the research team; formulation-specific comparisons were secondary and exploratory.\n\nResults: All 36 participants completed both Oral Assessment Scale for Post-Operational Patients with Oral Cancer (OASPOCa) assessments, and 32 (88.9%) were recorded as completing all scheduled daily oral-care sessions in the archived adherence record; four participants had one missed-session record. No clinically significant formulation-related intolerance or discontinuation was recorded. Mean total OASPOCa score decreased from 14.97 (SD 2.79) on POD3 to 11.44 (SD 1.65) on POD13, corresponding to a mean within-participant improvement of 3.53 points (SD 3.15; 95% CI, 2.46–4.59; P < 0.001). At least some participants improved in each of the 10 OASPOCa domains, while others remained unchanged or worsened. In secondary exploratory analyses, the between-formulation difference in mean improvement was 0.39 points (95% CI, −1.78 to 2.55; P = 0.717).\n\nConclusion: The structured pathway was implemented with high recorded participant-level adherence and was accompanied by multidimensional early oral-health recovery; no clinically significant formulation-related intolerance or discontinuation was recorded. Because oral care began before the first formal assessment and no untreated or usual-care control group was included, the observed change represents temporal postoperative recovery rather than causal pathway efficacy. No clear overall advantage of either routinely used oral-care formulation was demonstrated.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Nursing, Tungs’ Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital",
    "Department of Radiation Oncology, Tungs’ Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital",
    "Department of Medical Research, Tungs’ Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital",
    "Department of Nursing, Jenteh Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management",
    "Department of Otolaryngology, Tungs’ Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital",
    "Department of Nursing, Hungkuang University",
    "Department of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, National Chung Hsing University",
    "College of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Tsai-Mei Huang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yun Chih Chen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Yu-Che Cheng"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Chi-Yuan Yeh"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Yu-Kang Chang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Mei-Wen Nian"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Tsay-I Chiang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        6,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Stella Chin-Shaw Tsai"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4hr1yhyx9tc5p.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fonc.2026.1981326",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13727435/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "4hr1yhyx9tc5p",
  "issns": [
    "2234-943X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1981326/full",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2740|Oral health in cancer treatment"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223027703",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1981326/pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13727435",
  "pmid": "42978609",
  "published": "2026-10-20",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4hr1yhyx9tc5p.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:13Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fonc.2026.1981326",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1981326/full"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T15:20:45Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13727435",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727435"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-06T12:23:18Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13727435",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2026.1981326"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "issn:2234-943X",
      "subfield": "oncology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Implementation of a structured early oral supportive-care pathway and early oral health recovery after oral cancer resection and free-flap reconstruction: a prospective observational cohort study",
  "title_text": "Implementation of a structured early oral supportive-care pathway and early oral health recovery after oral cancer resection and free-flap reconstruction: a prospective observational cohort study",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T12:20:37Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4hr1yhyx9tc5p",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Oncology",
  "versions": []
}