Incidence of fever following invasive oral interventions in the myelosuppressed cancer patient.

Oral complications in cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression contribute to morbidity and mortality. However, guidelines for oral care to prevent such complications, including disorders involving the periodontium, are not clear. This study specifically analyzed the impact of a noninvasive oral examination versus invasive oral interventions (periodontal probing, dental scaling) prior to chemotherapy on subsequent development of fever and/or bacteremia in these patients. Medical and dental records were reviewed for 100 patients who had been assigned to receive either the invasive or noninvasive procedures prior to chemotherapy. Temperature values immediately before and up to 48 h after the oral intervention were recorded, and the occurrence of fever and/or bacteremia was documented for each group. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of fever and/or bacteremia between the two groups of patients. Although periodontal probing and dental scaling are procedures that invade mucosal barriers, such interventions did not appear significantly to affect the incidence of fever or bacteremia among persons in this study.