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Oral mucositis (OM) is a frequent adverse effect of allogenic or autologous hematopoietic SCT. It results from direct toxic injury to the mucosal epithelial cells by the immunosuppressive regimen. Here, we compared the incidence and severity of OM between a group of 24 patients who received proper oral management during hematopoietic SCT and a group of 24 who did not. The oral management group received pre-hematopoietic SCT instruction on oral care and an oral examination in the clean room. Differences in the incidence and severity of OM between the two groups were examined statistically. OM was observed in 14 (58.3%) patients in the oral management group and 22 (91.6%) in the control group. The median of the OM score was 1 for the oral management group (range 0 to 3) and 2 for the control group (range 0 to 3). There was a significant difference in the OM score (P<0.05) and in the incidence of OM between the two groups (P<0.01). This study shows that oral management may decrease the occurrence of OM. Our results also suggest that it is important to include an oral management provider on the hematopoietic SCT team.

Objective: Although dental treatment before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is essential to prevent serious infections from oral sources, the best management plan for impacted third molar (ITM) is unclear., Study Design: This study was planned to establish a management plan for ITM. Eighty-four candidates for HSCT therapy were consecutively enrolled in the prospective trial. The management plan, which was evidence based and prospectively decided, was to extract the symptomatic ITMs and to leave the asymptomatic ones untreated, regardless of their impacted position., Results: Eighty-seven ITMs were observed in 35 patients. The ITMs were in the maxilla of 25 patients and the mandible of 28 patients. Dental extraction of 7 teeth was performed in 6 patients without complications. All of the patients received the scheduled HSCT therapy and none experienced odontogenic infection while myelosuppressed., Conclusions: This management plan for ITM appears to be appropriate for pre-HSCT patients. Moreover, the experienced dental provider is suggested as a necessary and valuable part of the HSCT team., (Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study was conducted to evaluate the outcomes of a dental management program the authors designed for pediatric patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) for hematological malignancy. Thirty pediatric patients with hematological malignancies received dental management before HSCT. The outcomes of the dental management and any episode of odontogenic complication were retrospectively evaluated. The pretransplant oral examination showed one or more dental pathologies in 19 children (63.3%), and the remaining 11 patients showed no dental pathologies. Fifteen of the 19 children with dental pathologies received dental treatment, which included restoration, tooth-brushing instruction, scaling, endodontic therapy for permanent teeth, and extraction of primary teeth. No odontogenic infection occurred in any patient during the immunosuppressive period.

Pre-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) dental treatment is essential to prevent serious infections from oral sources during immunosuppression, in patients who undergo HSCT therapy. This study was planned to establish a dental management protocol for such patients. Forty-one patients scheduled for HSCT to treat hematological malignancies were consecutively enrolled in the prospective trial. The dental status of all patients was evaluated by clinical and radiographic examination at a median of 47 days before the commencement of HSCT therapy. Thirty-six patients had one or more dental diseases; the remaining five had none. Caries was found in 26 patients, apical periodontitis in 19, marginal periodontitis in 24 and a partially erupted third molar in 11. Our policy is to preserve patients' teeth whenever possible, and therefore minimal dental intervention was planned. Treatment was completed for all 36 patients with dental pathologies, before the conditioning regimen began. All patients received the scheduled HSCT therapy without alteration, interruption or delay, and did not show any signs or symptoms associated with odontogenic infection while they were immunosuppressed. This protocol, therefore, appears to be appropriate for the pre-HSCT dental treatment of patients with hematological diseases.