Dental management of patients with bone marrow and solid organ transplantation.

With advances in transplant science, an increasing number of people are undergoing and surviving hematopoietic stem cell and solid organ transplantation. Those transplant recipients are also living longer. This means that many dentists nowadays will occasionally treat patients who are anticipating or who have received a transplant. Dentists thus should be knowledgeable about issues related to this population. The dentist's role is important because transplant patients are especially vulnerable to infection, which can stem from poor oral and dental hygiene. This article provides dentists with an overview of transplant science and guidance for dentists treating transplant patients.