Oral condition of patients with leukemia and lymphoma.

Abstract

Different oral manifestations, the most prominent characteristics of the different oral symptoms, and oral colonization by Candida albicans were studied in 97 patients with leukemia and lymphoma. Oral manifestations usually occurred in both leukemias and lymphomas. The most common manifestation in both diseases was mucosal pallor. Oral colonization by Candida albicans in all patients was determined by the use of Sebouraud's agar plates and quantitative estimation of the colonization was made on a scale of +1 to +4 according to its presence in the four quadrants of the agar plates. Oral colonization by Candida albicans was between +1 and +4 in the patients with leukemia and was between +1 and +3 in the patients with lymphoma. Professional dental follow-up should be integrated into the medical follow-up. This is important not only for diagnosis of the disease, but also for prevention and treatment of complications during subsequent treatment.