Osseo News Logo

The Original Dental Implant Community

Dental implants in heart transplant patients?

Last Updated: Oct 04, 2013

Has anyone done dental implants in heart transplant patient or any transplant patient? I have a heart transplant patient being evaluated for full mouth teeth extraction and full mouth dental implants and is taking Prograf (tacrolimus) and Cellcept (mycophenolate). He had his heart transplant 6 years ago and is otherwise in good health, except for periodontal disease. I have not been able to find any guidelines in the peer reviewed literature on how to evaluate or treatment plan this patient or if I should be taking special precautions. Has anybody had experience with this?

5 Comments on Dental implants in heart transplant patients?

CRS

10/04/2013

I haven't done this personally but I would recommend referral to a university setting. The patient is on major immunosuppressive drugs is at risk due to the perio disease. You may not want to go it alone on this one. The perio involved teeth need to go I would not be concerned about implants at the get go. Also why did the patient require a transplant? Iv drugs, bacterial or viral cardio myopathy? That's an important factor in this otherwise " healthy patient" with a heart transplant. Good luck.

Richard Hughes, DDS, FAAI

10/05/2013

CRS, you make a good point. Ask yourself what could go wrong? If you elect to do this case, then stage it accordingly and treat in a hospital setting. Get the physicians involved.

CRS

10/05/2013

Thanks Richard. As dentists it is valid to take the lead on the dental issues I.e. oral sepsis affecting an immunocompromised patient. I think that immunocompromised patients are an absolute contraindications for dental implants which are elective but the source of periodontal disease needs to be removed. I also would take it in steps.

Dean Licenblat

10/08/2013

I agree with CRS, huge risk and sometimes its not worth the stomach lining and heart tissue, in fact I was once told you sometimes make more money on the cases you turn away. This could very well be one of those cases. Just my opinion, leave that one to the specialists in a hospital setting with all the medical specialists at their fingertips

Dime

10/08/2013

Patients with transplanted heart according to the new guidelines from 2007 from the AHA are not candidates for antibiotic prophylaxis during dental procedures so I do not see any reason why these patient with stable condition won't be a good candidate as long as he is classified in the group 2 according to ASA-PS classification. So I do not see any reason why not to extract wait to heal than do something simple no bone augmentation something removable easy to make, easy to clean and long to last. Good luck!

Featured Products

DALI Bone Mix

DALI Bone Mix

The highest quality tissue!

Classic

Classic 50/50 Mix

Promotes osteoconduction

Provides structural integrity

DALI Bone Syringe

DALI Bone Syringe

Prefilled Mineralized Cortico-Cancellous Bone in Syringe

New

Convenient Syringe!

50/50 Cortical/Cancellous

Available in 3 sizes.

Osteogen Plug

Osteogen Plug

Combines bone graft with a collagen plug.

Classic

Eliminate hassle of mixing particulate grafts

Sold in packs of 5 or packs of 10.

Proven safe, and clinically effective

OsseoSeal Flexible Membrane

OsseoSeal Flexible Membrane

Resorbable collagen membrane derived from purified porcine pericardium

Popular

Fast hydration and excellent tensile strength

Good adaptation to various defects

Excellent tear function and duration

DALI One Graft

DALI One Graft

One-Step grafting solution!

New

100% allograft

Eliminates mixing hassle

Moldable after hydration