Patient Care & Post-Operative Management Flashcards
7 cards from real CIT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Care & Post-Operative Management flashcards as text
Which medication class is most commonly prescribed to manage post-operative pain following routine implant placement in a healthy adult?
Answer: NSAIDs such as ibuprofen
NSAIDs are first-line analgesics for implant post-operative pain due to their anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties with a favorable safety profile.
During the osseointegration phase, a patient should be placed on what type of diet?
Answer: Soft, non-chewing diet on the implant side for 4–8 weeks
A soft diet avoiding pressure on the implant site allows undisturbed bone apposition around the implant during the critical osseointegration window.
What is the primary purpose of prescribing prophylactic antibiotics before implant surgery?
Answer: To reduce the risk of early surgical site infection and implant failure
Pre-operative antibiotics reduce bacterial load at the surgical site, lowering the incidence of early post-operative infection and implant loss.
A patient develops trismus (limited mouth opening) 48 hours after posterior mandibular implant placement. The most likely cause is:
Answer: Pterygoid muscle inflammation or hematoma from the local anesthetic injection
Trismus post-implant surgery is most commonly caused by muscle inflammation or hematoma at the injection site of the inferior alveolar block.
Chlorhexidine gluconate mouth rinse is often prescribed post-operatively because it:
Answer: Provides broad-spectrum antimicrobial action to reduce surgical site infection
Chlorhexidine's substantivity and broad-spectrum activity make it effective at reducing oral biofilm and preventing post-surgical infection.
Which finding at a 2-week post-operative visit is considered NORMAL and does not require intervention?
Answer: Slight bruising (ecchymosis) on the cheek or neck
Ecchymosis from surgical trauma commonly appears in dependent areas of the face and neck within 2 weeks and resolves without treatment.
A diabetic patient with HbA1c of 9.5% is scheduled for implant placement. Which post-operative consideration is MOST important?
Answer: Monitor more closely for delayed healing and infection due to impaired immune response
Poorly controlled diabetes impairs neutrophil function, wound healing, and bone metabolism, significantly increasing risk of peri-implant infection and failure.