Oral health-related quality of life and dental treatment need 5 to 10 years after hematopoietic cell transplantation

PURPOSE: To investigate the long-term impact of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) on oral health-related quality of life and dental treatment needs 5-10 years post-HCT. METHODS: This study combined questionnaires with a retrospective analysis of dental records. Adult survivors (219) of Radboudumc HCT-treatment in 2012-2017 received OHIP-14, summated XI, MFIQ and OES questionnaires. If returned with informed consent, dental records were requested from the dentist and the number of extractions and restorations performed from 7 years before to 10 years post-HCT was counted. Negative binomial and logistic regression models, adjusted for confounders, were used to evaluate the impact of HCT type (autologous vs. allogeneic) on questionnaire scores, extractions, and restorations. RESULTS: A total of 169 HCT recipients (84 allogeneic) completed questionnaires, and dental records were available for 145 patients. Allogeneic HCT recipients had significantly higher sum scores for the OHIP, XI, and MFIQ questionnaires (OHIP IRR = 2.1 [95% CI 1.4, 3.3]; XI IRR = 1.17 [95% CI 1.03, 1.34]; MFIQ IRR = 2.6 [95% CI 1.5, 4.5], respectively), but no significant difference was found for the OES. Allogeneic HCT recipients were more likely to have one or more extractions (OR = 4.5 [95% CI 1.3, 17.7]) compared to autologous HCT recipients. No significant difference was observed in the number of restorations between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Allogeneic HCT recipients reported worse oral health-related quality of life, more xerostomia complaints, and more mandibular-function complaints than autologous HCT recipients. They were also more likely to undergo extractions post-HCT but no significant difference in restorations was observed.