Letter

Dental Clearance Before BMT

A knowledge gap exists among dental practitioners when treating patients in need of dental clearance before bone marrow transplantation (BMT). With no standard guidelines, dentists may have to consider certain factors before providing dental clearance. Patients’ medical and dental history and a complete examination including periodontal health, caries risk assessment and obtaining radiographs with an assessment of overall oral hygiene is essential.

The most important aspect of the dental clearance is to eliminate potential infections including carious and periodontally compromised teeth and soft tissue/bony infections before BMT. When planning dental procedures, caution needs to be exercised about the risk of bacteremia, the need for antibiotic prophylaxis, the patient’s health status and the timeline of procedures. Treatment is tailored according to the patient’s needs in consultation with the treating physician, with an emphasis on regular recall.

Prompt communication of the patient’s dental status with the physician is crucial.

CHITRA PRIYA EMPERUMAL, BDS, MS, and SIVAPPIRIYAI VELUPPILLAI, DDS University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry

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