APLASTIC ANEMIA AND HEALTH OF THE ORAL CAVITY- CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Abstract

Aplastic anemia is a non-oncological haematological disease, which is a challenge for specialists due to the severity of the clinical symptoms. It is characterized by hypocellularity of the bone marrow and its secondary pancytopenia. The aim of this paper is to characterize the symptoms of the oral cavity and the associated risks in the context of aplastic anemia. A brief review of the literature was conducted that highlighted pathological changes in the oral cavity in patients with aplastic anemia, to which were added data from current clinical experience. The clinical picture varies depending on the predominantly affected cell line. In aplastic anemia, symptoms of the oral cavity are always present. Thus, pallor can be found in the oral cavity as a sign of severe anemia, infections secondary to severe neutropenia and secondary immune deficiency syndrome, spontaneous bleeding due to severe thrombocytopenia. In addition to the signs of damage to the oral cavity in the context of the disease, there are symptoms caused by the side effects of treatment specific to this haematological pathology. Of these, gingival hyperplasia secondary to cyclosporine treatment is the most constant. Often these symptoms are the initial manifestation of the disease, which requires special attention from the dentist. The prevention, diagnosis, and specific treatment of oral pathology in the context of aplastic anemia improves the quality of life of these patients.

Keywords

• aplastic anemia
• oral cavity
• immunosuppressive treatment