Dental treatment prior to stem cell transplantation and its influence on the posttransplantation outcome.

Patients who receive allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) for hematological malignancies are at increased risk of developing oral complications. To reduce morbidity pretransplantation dental evaluation and treatment of all sources of potential infection have become standard of care for these patients. This study examined the effect of dental foci on the posttransplantation (post-SCT) outcome in two groups of patients who underwent allogeneic or autologous SCT: those who had no dental foci or completed dental treatment preoperatively (n=36) and those who underwent SCT without dental interventions (n=22). Statistical analysis showed no significant correlations between dental foci and infections, mucositis, and survival rate post-SCT. We therefore do not recommend a radical dental treatment pre-SCT.