Advances in hematologic stem cell transplant: an update for oral health care providers

Oral supportive care is critical in the management of patients receiving hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Advances in HCT, such as the use of stem cells isolated from peripheral blood instead of bone marrow, have resulted in more rapid engraftment and thus a shorter duration of pancytopenia. Reduced-intensity conditioning regimens, associated with less toxicity, make HCT available to older patients and patients with comorbidities. These new developments have led to increased transplant rates and an altered spectrum of therapy-related complications, such as mucositis, and to shifts in the prevalence and pattern of occurrence of infections and graft-versus-host disease. The purpose of this paper is to review the main principles of HCT and to update dental providers on new technologies being applied to transplantation that may influence oral complications and oral care.