DENTAL MANAGEMENT OF PEDIATRIC PATIENTS UNDERGOING HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANT

Abstract

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.

Keywords:

• dental management
• hematopoietic stem cell transplant
• odontogenic complication
• oral hygiene
• pediatric patients