Perception of oral and maxillofacial surgeons toward perioperative nutritional care: A KAP study

Introduction: To date, no data exist on the KAP of OFMS surgeons regarding postoperative nutritional care. The current prospective study aimed to identify nutritional knowledge, attitudes and practices of surgeons that can further benefit patients combating malnutrition.Aim and Objective: Nutrition is an important factor in deciding the time taken to heal perioperative wounds. OMFS combines medicine and dentistry, extending beyond oral surgery to craniomaxillofacial surgery. Patients undergoing surgery related to nasal, oral and mental regions have even less access or a lower chance of meeting their daily nutritional requirements because of difficulty in chewing, swallowing or gulping, making it difficult for patients to recover quickly. Therefore, it becomes important for surgeons to have some nutritional knowledge, or they should actively refer patients to clinical dietitians for rapid recovery.Materials and Methods: Data were collected via a questionnaire with 10 questions on KAP that was circulated online.Results: Under the knowledge section, for 7 questions, fewer than 50% of the participants provided correct answers. The average level of knowledge was 43.4%, and the average level of attitude was 69.7%.Conclusion: In conclusion, this study suggests that OMFS surgeons (trainees and practitioners) should have some nutritional knowledge to treat perioperative patients in an enhanced manner.