PREVALENCE OF ORAL LESIONS AFTER RENAL TRANSPLANTATION: PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of oral lesions in a cohort of renal transplant recipients before and just after transplantation. Study design: This is a cohort study involving 80 renal transplant recipients. The same researcher/dentist evaluated orofacial characteristics at the 3 different time points: immediately before transplantation, 15 to 20 days after transplantation, and 45 to 60 days after renal transplantation. Oral lesions were photographed and a presumptive diagnosis was established. Results: Immediately before transplantation, 3 of the 80 participants (3.7%) showed some oral soft tissue lesions. In the second and third time periods, 23.7% (18 out of 76) and 25.7% (19 out of 74) of the participants showed oral soft tissue lesions, respectively. Ulcers and candidiasis were the most frequent lesions associated with the use of everolimus (P = .023) and azathioprine (P = .034), respectively. Fewer patients reported xerostomia after transplantation than before (P