Home Critical Care Untreated Oral Infection Not Tied to Stem Cell Transplant Outcomes

Untreated Oral Infection Not Tied to Stem Cell Transplant Outcomes

Untreated oral infections pretransplant not linked to post-HSCT survival during six-month follow-up

THURSDAY, Jan. 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Untreated chronic oral infection is not associated with post-hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) outcomes, according to a study published online Dec. 18 in PLOS ONE.

Matti Mauramo, D.D.M., from the University of Helsinki, and colleagues examined the associations of common oral infections with survival and infectious complications in HSCT recipients in a retrospective case-control study. All 341 allogeneic and 125 autologous HSCT recipients transplanted in a single institution between 2008 and 2016 and referred to oral infection control pre-HSCT were included.

The researchers found that 14 percent of the allogeneic and 3 percent of the autologous recipients died within six months after HSCT. There was no association noted for oral foci of infections (acute or chronic); decayed, missing, or filled tooth index; or periodontitis pre-HSCT with survival at six months post-HSCT. There were also no associations seen for oral foci of infections with hospital-treated infectious diseases or blood culture-positive bacteremia during follow-up. No association was seen for untreated oral foci of infections with survival or severe infectious complications within six months post-HSCT.

“Based on our results, it seems that radical and extensive procedures to treat oral infections are not necessary before stem cell transplantations,” Mauramo said in a statement. “Instead, such treatment can be postponed until after the transplantation.”

Abstract/Full Text

Copyright © 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.