Is it safe to treat a patient who has undergone heart transplantation in an outpatient dental office?

Elective dental treatment should be avoided during the first 3 months after heart transplantation. During this period, various systemic complications and infections are common because the patient is receiving an intensive course of immunosuppressive medications.

Emergency dental treatment can be provided in consultation with the patient’s physician. If treatment is required during these first 3 months, antibiotic prophylaxis should be administered. Emergency dental treatment should be completed only after consultation with the patient’s cardiologist.

In the stable post-transplantation period (usually after 3 months, but the timing is determined in consultation with the physician), heart transplant patients can receive elective dental treatment.

The use of prophylactic antibiotics during this period is determined on an individual basis based on the patient’s level of immunosuppression, whether he or she has shown evidence of rejection, and other factors.

Source: Dental Secrets, Elsevier, 2015