Biological therapy and dentistry: a review paper.

In recent years, a new class of drugs has revolutionized the treatment of autoimmune, allergic, infectious, and many more diseases. This new class of drugs is made of 3 groups-cytokines, monoclonal antibodies, and fusion proteins-that may target special damaged cells but not all the cells. These drugs may have side effects such as infection, hypersensitivity, hematologic disorders, cancer, hepatotoxicity, and neurologic disorders. However, there is not enough evidence or long-term studies of the mechanism of action and side effects of these drugs. Patients receiving biological therapies may need special consideration in dentistry. This paper is a review of the classification, mechanism of action, and side effects of these drugs and dental consideration for patients receiving biological therapies.