Dental aspects of cardiac transplantation

This article does not cover all possible dental situations, but it is hoped that it will provide a framework on which a medical or dental consultant can develop his or her own comprehensive oral evaluation protocol for use in the screening of prospective cardiac transplant patients. It is always important for the dental consultant to remember a prospective recipient patient's primary health concern--that is, end-stage cardiac disease. The consultant should remember that many of the usual considerations for dental treatment planning must be modified and the significance of dental health placed into its proper perspective in the overall care of the cardiac transplant patient.