A team from Nice University Hospital reports:
- a series of six patients aged 34 to 79 who presented with oral disorders (pain, dental abscess or fracture, periodontitis…) 10 days to two years after starting anti-CD20 therapy (rituximab or ocrelizumab) for autoimmune myasthenia, multiple sclerosis or neuromyelitis optica ;
- the Vigibase worldwide pharmacovigilance database has recorded 284 cases of dental or gum damage with ocrelizumab, 386 with rituximab and 80 with ofatumumab.
Prevention of these adverse effects requires careful and regular dental check-ups before, during and after discontinuation of anti-CD20 therapy, combined with rigorous dental hygiene including regular brushing, interdental cleaning and annual scaling.
