Dental health in liver transplant patients.

Since the first liver transplantation in Spain was carried out in 1984, advances in surgical technique and immunosuppressive drugs have facilitated an increase in the number of transplants performed. The present study evaluates buccodental health in liver transplant patients. A cross-sectional descriptive study was made of a sample of patients subjected to liver transplantation in Príncipes de España Hospital (Bellvitge University Health Care Complex, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona--Spain). Information was collected relating to demographic characteristics, general clinical history, buccodental history and intraoral exploratory findings. A total of 53 individuals were evaluated (28 males and 25 females, with a mean age of 57.6 years). The mean time elapsed from transplantation was 3 years and 9 months. The most frequent indication for liver transplantation was liver cirrhosis due to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (49.1% of the global series). The most widely used immunosuppressors were cyclosporine and tacrolimus. The CAOD index of the series was 11.2. In relation to periodontal disease, 22% of the dentate patients showed gingival overgrowth, while half of those with teeth had gingival recessions, and 34% presented some type of dental mobility. The examination of the oral mucosa showed fissured tongue to be the most common disorder (39.6%), followed by saburral tongue (28.3%) and xerostomia (18.9%). Buccodental pathology in these patients is related to the use of immunosuppressor medication and other factors such as a lack of preventive measures. The findings of the present study point to the need for preventive treatments in this population group.