DENTAL CARE IN HOSPITAL SETTINGS: INTEGRATIVE LITERATURA REVIEW

Hospital dentistry focuses on the treatment of hospitalized patients and their oral health issues. Neglecting oral health care can lead to problems with the patient's overall health, negatively impacting their recovery. This research aimed to describe dental care in hospital settings through an integrative literature review, guided by the question: "What does the scientific literature present about dental care in hospital settings?". The search terms used were "dental care" and "hospital dental team," combined with the Boolean operator "and," in the BVS, MEDLINE, and LILACS databases. Sixty-four studies were retrieved for analysis, and after filtering, eight articles were included. The studies showed that dental care for patients in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and other hospital settings is considered essential to reduce factors that worsen the patient's overall health. The importance of the dentist's role in the hospital environment and the problems arising from their absence were also highlighted. Thus, it was concluded that hospital dentistry requires an interdisciplinary approach and joint training of health professionals. In this context, although the role of the dentist is crucial in preventing systemic complications in hospitalized patients, their presence is still underestimated.